Sins & Survivors: A Las Vegas True Crime Podcast - Endless Grief - The Murders of Sagittarius, DeMario and Martinique

Episode Date: October 15, 2024

Carolyn Clark knew something was wrong right away when her daughter Sagittarius Gomez started dating Eric Covington in 2008 and introduced him to her and her grandchildren, who were only 2 and 5 years old at the time. She saw the signs of domestic abuse in Eric and Sagitarius’s relationship and feared for her daughter’s safety and for the safety of her grandchildren.When the unimaginable finally happened, it was the third time tragedy had struck their family and the second time in only 3 months.https://sinspod.co/episode48sourcesDomestic Violence Resourceshttp://sinspod.co/resourcesClick here to become a member of our Patreon!https://sinspod.co/patreonVisit and join our Patreon now and access our ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content & schwag! Get ad-free access for only $1 a month or ad-free and bonus episodes for $3 a monthApple Podcast Subscriptionshttps://sinspod.co/appleWe're now offering premium membership benefits on Apple Podcast Subscriptions! On your mobile deviceLet us know what you think about the episodehttps://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2248640/open_sms Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sins-survivors-a-las-vegas-true-crime-podcast--6173686/support.

To listen ad-free, visit Zinspod.co slash subscribe. Starting at $2.99 a month, you'll also get access to our exclusive bonus content episodes when you join through Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Thanks for supporting the show! Carolyn Clark knew something was wrong right away when her daughter, Sagittarius Gomez, started dating Eric Covington in 2008 and introduced him to her and her grandchildren, who were only two and five years old at the time. She saw the signs of domestic abuse in Eric and Sagittarius' relationship and feared for her daughter's safety and for the safety of her grandchildren.

When the unimaginable finally happened, it was the third time tragedy had struck their family and the second time in only three months. Hi, and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence, as well as missing persons and unsolved cases. I'm your host, Sean, and with me, as always, is the one and only John. I'm the only John in the room. The case we researched this week is a case of domestic violence, as you'd expect. But horrifyingly, two other tragedies happened to this same Las Vegas family.

Two occurred in the same year, and one had happened nine years earlier, so this is an instance where it's clear to see that the victims are not only the people directly affected, but the whole family and the whole community. What happened to Sagittarius is a terrifying story that highlights the realities of what people in abusive and violent relationships experience, and it also serves as an example of how it can be incredibly hard to leave a situation. Do you want to start us out with the first case involving Sagittarius Gomez? Sure. Although her name was Sagittarius, she was not, in fact, a Sagittarius. Sagittarius Gomez was born in Las Vegas on August 2nd, 1986, making her a Leo, and she should have been here to celebrate her 38th birthday just

a few weeks ago. From what we could find through our research, Sagittarius had a very large and loving family. Her mother's name is Carolyn Clark, and her father's name is Andre Brown. Carolyn has two sisters, Sagittarius's aunts, obviously, named Catherine Clark and Pamela Tillman. Sagittarius also has two daughters, whose names we won't share, who were five and two years old in 2010. So they were born in 2005 and 2008. And she also has quite a few cousins. Before we go any further, we just want to take a second to acknowledge the work of journalist Mike Blaski of the Review Journal in documenting Sagittarius' story. Around 2008, Sagittarius started dating Eric Covington, who was born in Las Vegas on August 7, 1983. According to Sagittarius' mother, Carolyn, Eric was in a long-term relationship

with another woman for over 10 years, and they had three children together. Carolyn stated that Covington had no intention of ending his relationship with the other woman while he continued to see Sagittarius. Carolyn did not like Eric, and her dislike began from their very first meeting. When she met him, Eric smoked pot in front of her and Sagittarius' young daughters. For Carolyn, this behavior told her all she needed to know about Eric. She said, quote, I told Sagittarius he disrespected your mother and your children. Anytime a man has intentions of really being with you, he's going to be on his best behavior for your mom and your kids. If Sagittarius had a problem with that or his lack of commitment,

that wasn't clear to Carolyn. Her mom said that she was head over heels in love with him. Eric and Sagittarius shared an apartment on the east side of Vegas near Hollywood Boulevard and East Sahara. We, of course, don't have all the details of their daily lives as a couple, but we do know that in March of 2010, the two of them broke up. In mid-April, Covington broke into her apartment and attacked her, beating and strangling her. He was arrested for attempted murder, one count of felony domestic battery for the strangulation, and three additional counts of domestic battery. According to the police report, he told Sagittarius, if I can't have you, no one can.

That threat is an incredibly concerning red flag and is often cited as one of the seven top deadly signs in a relationship. Carolyn said that the case was dropped because Sagittarius didn't want to testify against Eric, which, as we've talked about before, isn't that uncommon in these situations. There are a lot of possible reasons for this, including the victim fearing their abuser's reaction. Her mom said she just couldn't let him go. He kept lying to her, telling her that he loved her. She believed him. Sagittarius was in significant danger. The risk of becoming a victim of domestic violence homicide

greatly increases if one has previously been strangled by their partner. Additionally, around this time, Sagittarius became pregnant. We've mentioned before that homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States, and women with unintended pregnancies are two to four times more likely to experience abuse than women with planned pregnancies. Based on what her family said and the police reports, Eric was definitely becoming more violent. On October 16, 2010, Eric attacked her again, severely enough for the police to be called. According to her Aunt Pamela, he had choked her again. He also stole $700 from her, and according to the police report, she again refused to press charges against him. The police were quoted as saying, Gomez is afraid of Eric's

response when he finds out she no longer wants to be with him. She believes Covington will attempt to hurt her if she does not take him back. By October, Sagittarius was about six months pregnant with a son. Carolyn has said that she tried to talk Sagittarius out of being with Eric many times, but there was nothing she could say to convince her. Sagittarius was justifiably terrified of Eric. Whether or not she was planning on leaving him, he attempted to kill her twice in six months. If you or someone you know is going through this, please contact a hotline for help. We don't know for sure whether Sagittarius ever did that. And I want to note here that based on our research, her two daughters were not living in the apartment with her at this time.

Early in the morning on November 6, 2010, neighbors reported hearing screaming, but no one called the police. One neighbor named George would later testify he had heard, quote, a horrific, very loud scream and said that he regretted not calling 911. Later that day, accounts differ a bit here. Either her friend Heather or her father Andre, or perhaps both of them, went to her apartment. They had expected her to come pick up her children that day, but she did not. When Heather got to the house, she knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Heather was very aware of how abusive Eric had become, so she looked around the outside of the apartment and she could see blood on one of the windows and on the patio, so she called 911.

Her father, Andre, told 8 News Now that he saw bloodstains on the floor, by the door, and some marks by the window. The police arrived and had the apartment maintenance workers drill through the lock of her apartment door so they could enter. Horrifically, Sagittarius, who was visibly seven months pregnant, was dead on the floor of the apartment. She had significant trauma to her neck and abdomen and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police discovered a bloody kitchen knife nearby. The autopsy would later reveal that she had been stabbed more than 120 times over the course of an hour. Since Metro had previous calls to Sagittarius in Eric's apartment, the officers knew right away they needed to talk to him. They found Eric at his parents' house later that day and had him transported for questioning.

When he was questioned by the police, Eric waived his rights and confessed that he had gone to their apartment to talk about their relationship. He said that he and Sagittarius had recently broken up and he was going to try and convince her to take him back. When he realized that wasn't going to happen, he took out his switchblade knife that he carried with him. He said he didn't want his baby to be raised by another man, so he stabbed Sagittarius repeatedly. He gave up on using the switchblade and switched to a kitchen knife to stab her. He also took the flat-screen TV off the wall, and also Sagittarius' key, and then left the apartment and locked the door behind him. He was placed under arrest and charged with first-degree murder as well as manslaughter because Sagittarius was seven months pregnant, and also robbery and burglary. He was held without

bail. Eric Covington was represented by two well-known Las Vegas defense attorneys, Lisa Rasmussen and Osvaldo Fumo. The prosecutors intended to seek the death penalty for Covington, and his attorneys filed multiple pretrial motions in order to make sure Eric got a fair trial, and the jury selection process was balanced. For example, they objected to the first phase of the trial being called the guilt or guilty phase of the trial, and they didn't want Sagittarius's pregnancy to be referred to as baby or child, presumably because these words would prejudice the jury. They also concentrated on ensuring Eric did not receive the death penalty. They motioned to stop the prosecution from using their preemptive strikes against jurors

to eliminate people from the jury just because they were hesitant to impose the death penalty. They also wanted to be able to introduce evidence about racial bias that occurs in the application of the death penalty. Most of these pretrial motions were denied, and the trial was scheduled to begin in October of 2016. Shortly after jury selection began, Eric Covington's attorneys filed a motion to have Covington declared intellectually disabled. His attorneys stated that they had had difficulty working with Covington because he had difficulties processing

information that was given to him. They had two psychologists evaluate him, and one determined that his IQ was 77, and another determined that it was 62. 77 would be considered borderline, but 62 is below the threshold for intellectual difficulty. The mental health professionals also interviewed his family members and reviewed his school records. Eric had shown signs of intellectual difficulties before the age of 18, but he had never been placed in any special education classes. They also noted that his grades varied and he did not graduate from high school. Based on what they discovered, they concluded that he had had intellectual and adaptive limitations and was someone with an intellectual disability. In 2002, in the case

of Atkins v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that executing individuals with intellectual disabilities violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The ruling emphasized that any such execution was unconstitutional because of the reduced culpability and moral blameworthiness of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The state asked for an independent evaluation of Covington, and the court held a hearing where the judge looked at the statements from all three psychologists and other evidence presented. The court declared that he was, in fact, intellectually disabled and took the death penalty off the table. The trial was then halted while the state appealed that order. The Supreme Court of Nevada ruled on the appeal in 2019 and found that the judge was correct in the conclusions and wrote, family members acknowledged that Covington had generally lower comprehension than his siblings or peers, was oblivious to the

consequences of his actions, was unable to follow movie plots, literature, or conversations, and was gullible. He lacked insight into others' emotions and generally did not engage in the typical behaviors of an independent adult, including consistent employment, budgeting, and parental problem solving. Before a second trial could begin, the state was able to reach a plea deal with Covington. He pled guilty in March of 2020 to first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon, manslaughter for the killing of an unborn child, robbery with use of a deadly weapon, and burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon. In September 2020, he was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 20 years, plus additional time for the other three crimes. The earliest date he'd be

eligible for parole will be November 2041. Sagittarius' murder and the loss of her unborn son caused unfathomable grief to her mom and her sister. Her mom, Carolyn, was together with her two sisters when the police allowed the family to have access to Sagittarius's apartment once it was no longer an active crime scene. The three sisters held each other close that day as they all deeply understood each other's pain. We mentioned earlier that this was not the first time tragedy had struck this family. Sadly, Carolyn, Catherine, and Pamela all lost their oldest children to acts of violence. Sagittarius had a cousin named Demario Reynolds Sr. who attended UNLV and played for the UNLV

football team as a linebacker up until 2005. He was a big young man, six feet tall and 210 pounds. He graduated in 2006 and worked as a club promoter at the Cat House nightclub, which closed in 2012. He was the son of Catherine Clark, obviously Carolyn's sister, and Roy Reynolds Sr. He had a fiance named Iman Aubrey and a son, also named Demario, born in 2003, so he would have been about seven years old in 2010. He also had five brothers and sisters. In his job, he became friends with Jason Sindelar, a professional MMA fighter who also promoted the nightclub at the hotel. Sindelar was from Gillette, Wyoming, and started fighting competitively shortly after high school. He had four amateur fights and then

turned pro and had one professional fight in 2008 in North Dakota. Sindelar moved to Las Vegas in 2008. Obviously, Las Vegas is a great place to move if you're an up-and-coming MMA fighter, and 2008 was when the sport was really gaining traction. There were a lot of MMA gyms popping up here run by people like Randy Couture and other big names in MMA. There was Extreme Couture, 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, Cobra Kai, several Gracie Jiu-Jitsu gyms, and Syndicate, just to name a few. MMA isn't known for paying very well except at the very top levels, so it makes sense that Sindelar needed a job outside of the fight training.

So these two met as club promoters at the Luxor and became best friends, according to all the information we were able to find. They were thick as thieves. They seemed to have an overlapping friend circle, too. DiMario's fiancée, Iman Aubrey, who was 17 years older than him, owned a company called Perfect LV, which hosts events to this day called Lifestyle Mix and Mingle Parties, which are essentially swinger parties. The party in question on the night of June 19, 2010 was one of those swinger lifestyle parties that happened in suite 13-335 of the Luxor that DiMario attended with his fiancée who was running the party. Jason Sindelar arrived around 2 a.m. with his girlfriend Charmaine Kemp and some others. The details surrounding what happened here

are a little bit sketchy, possibly because there are allegations of cocaine, ecstasy, and alcohol use at the party, but from what we were able to piece together, Sindelar and Charmaine got into a fight in the suite bathroom around 4 a.m. Sindelar allegedly grabbed her by the throat and slapped her after accusing her of breaking his phone. DiMario intervened, grabbing Sindelar and took him to the ground. Witnesses said that he kept telling Sindelar that he loved him and that he didn't want to fight, he just wanted him to stop, because all of this was making his fiancée look bad that all of this was happening at her party. He was clearly trying to de-escalate the situation.

Unfortunately, that wasn't in the cards. Sindelar, remember, he's a trained MMA fighter, started assaulting DeMario, punching him in the face and chest. At one point, Sindelar apparently left, and witnesses said that Demario was sweating and out of breath on the couch. Sindelar returned and attacked him again, leading to Demario being curled up on the floor defensively. Other people at the party tried to get Sindelar to stop, but the assault lasted about 30 minutes. Sindelar finally stopped, and they called security and he fled. DiMario was brought to the Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The police located and arrested Sindelar, but he was allowed to post bail and be released while the autopsy results were pending.

There was some question if DiMario's death was due to some underlying medical condition or the assault. Sindelar was charged with second degree murder initially and then indicted for the lesser charge of manslaughter on October 19, 2010. The coroner in this case, whose name was Elaine Olson, initially testified that DeMario had lethal levels of ecstasy cocaine and alcohol in his body. She said it was possible that the fight had caused a heart arrhythmia, noting that he had suffered from high blood pressure. She also initially ruled the death an accident, but then changed her ruling to homicide after she'd spoken with other professionals in the field. She seemed to have solid reasons for this,

but the damage was done in the court case. In the end, the case was dismissed by the judge because all of the back and forth about the cause of death, leaving his family with no justice. Even worse, the final determination of DeMario's cause of death is listed as an overdose. He was only 26 years old. I think DeMario did what many of us would do in a case where domestic violence is happening in public. It's not at all contested that Sindelar had grabbed Charmaine by the throat, choking her, and also slapping her. I'd like to think that any of us would attempt to intervene and de-escalate to get this victim to safety. De-escalation is the right thing to try in a case like this,

but the police also need to be called and a report made. If there are several people present, some can be working on de-escalation while others are getting the police to respond. The third tragedy that happened to this family happened way back in 2001, long before iPhones and Facebook and Instagram, and there are few details available about the case. Pamela Tillman, who is Carolyn and Catherine's eldest sister, had a son named Martinique Tillman, who was born on December 22, 1979. He worked as a telemarketer, and he was a lifetime resident of Las Vegas. He had a fiancée named Monica Carter and three children, two sons and a daughter. In the early morning of May 28, 2001, he was sleeping in a disabled car which belonged to Edward Lee Smith,

in an alley near the apartment where Smith's girlfriend lived. Smith apparently came across Martinique and from outside the car stabbed Martinique eight times, with one of the wounds piercing his heart, resulting in his death. Smith was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in May of 2001. He was paroled and is now out of prison as of May 2023. Our hearts go out to the Clark and Tillman families around these three horrible tragedies.

Pamela said that all the kids were great kids, sweet and easygoing. They were the kind of people that always had a smile on their faces, she said. We wanted to share all of their stories to highlight some of the problematic behaviors and patterns that can result in tragedy. It's vitally important to be aware of these. Strangulation in any form is a huge red flag. It is the single greatest predictor of homicide in abusive relationships. The odds of homicide increase by 750% in the next year for victims who have been previously strangled by their partner. Strangling or choking someone isn't a game.

Remember that in 5 to 10 seconds, a victim can lose consciousness. In 15 seconds, they can lose bladder control. In 30 seconds, bowel control. In as little as one to three minutes, strangulation can be fatal. Sagittarius's family expressed their frustration and fear over her abusive relationship. Please remember there are resources out there that can help support you as you try to help your loved ones through something like this. Those resources exist for you as well, so do not hesitate to reach out. These cases happened in Las Vegas, but as always, we remind you, what happens here, happens everywhere. To be continued... and to listen ad-free. Remember to like and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Threads at Sins and Survivors. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice. You can contact us at questions at sinsandsurvivors.com. If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence or needs support,

please reach out to local resources or the National Domestic Violence Hotline. A list of resources is available on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, is research written and produced by your hosts, Sean and John. The information shared in this podcast is accurate at the time of recording. If you have questions, concerns, or corrections, please email us. Links to source material for this episode can be found on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcast creators, hosts, and their guests. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty. This content does not constitute legal advice.

Listeners are encouraged to consult with legal professionals for guidance.