'I Just Want To Live,' Boy Begged As Relative Stabbed Him in Gage Park Massacre: Prosecutors

• Diego Uribe Cruz, 22, and Jafeth Ramos, 19 | Cook County Sheriff

Chicago, IL, May 20, 2016 -- Thirteen-year-old Leonardo Cruz begged for his life as he was stabbed multiple times in the abdomen, prosecutors said during a hearing for two people charged in the winter killings of a Gage Park family.

Prosecutors laid out in chilling, gruesome detail how a relative and his girlfriend allegedly killed six family members, whom they had set out to rob to raise money for a car on Feb. 2.

• Related: 2 Arrested in Gage Park Murders

Diego Uribe Cruz, 22, and Jafeth Ramos, 19, appeared Friday before Cook County Judge James Brown, where each was charged with six counts of first-degree murder.

Uribe and Ramos, who have no prior criminal background, are the parents of a 2-month-old baby.

Noe Martinez, Sr., 62, his wife Rossaura Martinez, 58, and their children, 38-year-old Noe Jr., and Maria Martinez, 32, along with Maria’s sons, Leonardo Cruz and 10-year-old Alexis Cruz, were found on Feb. 4 bludgeoned, stabbed and shot in their Gage Park bungalow during a police well being check.

Prosecutors placed the timeline of the murders between 4 and 7 p.m. Feb. 2.

Video showed Noe Martinez Jr. getting off a CTA bus around 3:30 p.m. that day and walking toward his home at 5708 S. California Ave. Several hours later, around 6:30 p.m., Noe Sr. left the house to buy chocolate and tamales on Kedzie Avenue. It would be the last time anyone saw the family alive.

By the time Noe Sr. returned home from shopping around 6:45 p.m., most of his family was dying or dead, prosecutors said.

Jafeth Ramos allegedly made admissions to Chicago police that she and Uribe, who had a gun, went to the Martinez home on Feb. 2 to get money. Uribe, the nephew of Maria Martinez’s ex-husband, told Ramos he planned to kill the family because “he didn’t like the way Maria Martinez was treating his uncle,” prosecutors said.

The couple was let into the family’s home. They hung out with family members on the first floor of home. After they had something to eat, prosecutors said, Uribe asked Maria to go upstairs where they could talk.

Once upstairs, Uribe allegedly pointed a small-caliber handgun at Maria and ordered her to put money in a bag. When she refused, Uribe shot her several times in the head and grabbed Maria’s cellphone, according to Ramos’ alleged admissions to police.

Hearing gunshots, Noe Jr. rushed upstairs. Prosecutors said Uribe pistol whipped Noe Jr. in the head and then punched and choked him, prosecutors.

When Rossaura ran upstairs, Uribe allegedly knocked her down the stairs where she lost consciousness.

Prosecutors said the couple went downstairs to talk to the boys. When Uribe heard a noise, he grabbed two knives out of the kitchen and stabbed Rossaura on the floor.

Afterwards, Ramos and Uribe made the boys show them where some money was kept. The couple went from room to room, grabbing jewelry, cash, a piggy bank and an Xbox 1, prosecutors said.

Ramos allegedly made one of the boys hold the bag when it became too heavy for her to carry. Uribe told Alexis to get his stuff because he was going with them and led the boy into the basement, prosecutors said.

Police said Uribe told them how he got Alexis there in the basement “with the same knife that I got the grandma.”

When Uribe returned alone upstairs, Leonardo was shaking. The boy asked Uribe “what happened to his brother so [Uribe] told him he was fine and and to go check if grandpa is coming in,” prosecutors said.

Uribe grabbed the boy as he was looking out the window. Prosecutors said that as Uribe stabbed him, according to Ramos' admissions, Leonardo screamed: “Please no! Please don’t ! I just want to live!”

Uribe pretended to be looking for something on the floor with knife in hand when Noe Sr. entered through the front door. Prosecutors said Uribe told detectives how “he got [Noe Sr.] from the front and stabbed him three times.”

As he was being stabbed, prosecutors said, Noe Sr. cried out: "Why are you killing me, I don’t owe you anything.” When he was finished, Uribe took the older man's wallet.

Afterward the couple stayed to clean up the blood. Ramos mopped the floor while Uribe washed his hands. Ramos and Uribe left the house with approximately $250 in change, $300 in cash and jewelry, police said.

Ramos told detectives how Uribe got rid of the gun by breaking it down and throwing the pieces away. They pawned the jewelry at a pawn shop and spent some of the money on milk and diapers for their child. All the family’s cellphones were destroyed, prosecutors said.

Relatives became concerned when they hadn’t heard from the family for several days and calls went directly to voicemail. The bodies were found in the late afternoon of Feb. 4 during a well being check.

During the investigation, when detectives learned Uribe had shown up to work with visible cuts and scratches. Uribe claimed three guys jumped him and beat him up, prosecutors said.

Police obtained a buccal swab from Uribe and sent it to the Illinois State Police Forensic Crime Lab.

According to analysis, a drop of blood found on the concrete step outside the back door of the Martinez’s home matched Urib’s profile. Uribe’s DNA was also found mixed with the other family members’ profiles.Scrapings from underneath Maria Martinez’s fingernails also matched Uribe’s profile, prosecutors said.

Judge Brown called the actions of both "pure evil" before ordering Uribe and Ramos to be held without bond. Both are due back in court May 26.