Correctional Officer Christopher Martinez passed away in a car accident on November 9, 2024. He left behind a wife and 8 month old son.

Christopher Martinez, a correctional officer, passed away following a vehicle accident while on his way to work Nov. 9, 2024.

He began his CDCR career in November 2023, as a cadet at the Ricard A. McGee Correctional Training Center.

After graduating from the Basic Correctional Officer Academy, he reported to the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF) at State Prison at Corcoran in March 2024.

“Although Christopher’s time at SATF was limited, he touched everyone’s heart who got the chance to work with him. Christopher was an invaluable member of the SATF team who will always be in our hearts. At this profound time of mourning, please keep the Martinez family in your thoughts and prayers,” wrote acting Warden Raul Morales.

CPOF’s catastrophic assistance program was able to assist his wife with burial expenses. Please keep their family in your thoughts and prayers.

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From Officer Martinez’s obituary:

Our Beloved Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Uncle and Friend, Christopher Martinez or whom we all know as Chris, was taken home by the Lord on November 9, 2024 at the age of 27 after an unexpected, tragic accident on the northbound freeway 99.

Chris was born on September 25, 1997 to Yolanda Garcia in Bakersfield, CA. He was the last of four children. His mother named him “Christopher” after the Saint Christopher. He came during a difficult time in their family and was a beacon of light for them. He often went to his Mami Nena’s house and would strip down to his underwear and run through the sprinklers. He had a birthmark on his left side of his belly and would grab it and call it his “fat”. He was always very loving, affectionate and selfless. He was a sensitive child and always absorbed feelings and emotions so he always made sure everyone else was okay. He would play for hours with his toys with nothing but his diaper and boots on. His toy cars couldn’t just be any little car, it had to be Hot Wheels and if it wasn’t then he would let you know to go to the website for what you could get him. For his sister’s quinceñera, Yolanda bought him a tuxedo and he would wear it every day until it no longer fit. He and his siblings created a band and they would record themselves playing music using every pot, pan, and broom in the house. They played Rock Band together and would jam out often. His sister, Jennifer, whom Chris called J. Dog would spend endless amount of time together playing Battlefront and they would often get in trouble for being too loud so they would sit in complete darkness and have photo shoots with the flash on to see how the photos came out. He would sit with her and brush her hair and tell her how much he loved her. They had a beautiful bond. Chris was also the chaperone to all of her dates with her Husband, Nicolas. They grew to just accept it and planned their dates around what Chris would like to do. Chris’s gentle and kind spirit followed him as he grew up into the man he became.

Chris grew up in Bakersfield, attending Berkshire Elementary School, Stonecreek Jr. High, and was a part of the Wolfpack at Ridgeview High School. He was intelligent, athletic, and had a competitive drive. He played left offensive guard with his jersey number being #72 and he was named as Hometown Sports All-Star player his Senior Year. The Wolfpack won the State Championship title that year making Ridgeview a D-1 school in football. He loved playing under the Friday Night Lights and respected all of his former teammates and coaches. He also loved to skateboard and play baseball. He graduated from Taft College with his Associate’s Degree in Psychology in May 2017 and briefly attended California State University, Bakersfield for one year but left after deciding to enter the workforce full time.

Chris met and fell in love with Yovonnie C. “Vonnie” Martinez at Stonecreek Jr. High. Their secret courtship began October 20, 2010 and was publicly accepted by both their families October 4, 2014. They married 8 years later on October 4, 2022. Together, they welcomed their only son, Christopher Joel “CJ” Martinez in March 2024. Chris’s wife and child were the center and purpose of his life, they were his greatest blessings. He is survived by his Wife; Yovonnie and Son; CJ. He is also survived by his Mother; Yolanda Garcia, Mother-in-Law; Marisol Dueñas, Father bonded by Loyalty and Love; Jonathan L. Sandidge (Rhonda G. Sandidge), Sisters; Jennifer Burdge (Martinez) (Nicolas P. Burdge) and Yolanda I. Martinez (Alberto Michele II), Brothers; Brandon R. Martinez (Nya-Alyse M. Martinez), Anthony R. Dueñas, and Giovanni C. Martinez, Nieces; Ellie Mae R. Burdge, Lainey J. Burdge, Andrea E. Michele, and Amaya I. Michele, Nephew; Alberto “Tre” Michele (III), Aunts; Martha E. Garcia, Leticia Rojo (Garcia), Norma I. Garcia and Lucy Dueñas along with many cousins. He is preceded in death by his maternal grandmother, Maria Elena “Mami Nena” Garcia, maternal aunt and uncles, Guadalupe Alfahoum (Garcia), Martin Garcia and Ramon Rojo. He is also preceded in death by his close father figure and uncle, Gilbert Dueñas.

Chris was a genuine, kind, hardworking, ambitious, loving and loyal person. He lit up a room with his smile and infectious laugh. He brought happiness and positivity to anyone’s day and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him, loved him. He could make anyone laugh, whether it be telling a dad joke or repeating a line from SpongeBob. (Is Mayonnaise an instrument?). He was the class clown and the funniest guy in the room; his laugh was from deep in his gut and you could never resist it. He made the aura around him radiant with happiness and always was the light of any room. Above all, Christopher was humble. People genuinely enjoyed his presence. He was an avid music fan. He loved so many artists but his favorite being Don Toliver, $uicideboy$, The Weeknd, Midland, Luke Combs, Jon Pardi, Intocable, Incubus, Avenged Sevenfold and even if he didn’t like to admit it, Drake. Chris was an absolute fiend for some Dutch Bros coffee. He would often call Anthony and Vonnie and say : “Is thou ready for a DUTCHY WUTCHY?”. Anytime he did a favor for you, he absolutely made sure to remind you that you owed him a Dutch. He loved popcorn, even day old popcorn. His mom would often call him after she went to the movies and say : “I got you somethinggg!” and he automatically knew it was popcorn and he would be so excited. He would wait patiently at the door to retrieve it and not share with a single soul. He was also the biggest nerd you’ll ever meet. He built his computer from scratch where he loved playing Call of Duty, Rocket League, The Last of Us, Madden and so many more. He would often stay up until 3:00/4:00 in the morning with Anthony and his good friend, Izzy doing nothing but listening to music and gaming. That was his favorite hobby. He grew a love for guns and learned how to properly and safely handle, clean, care and have respect for a weapon. He enjoyed going shooting at Five Dogs Shooting Range with his top folks including but not limited to, Jon Sandidge, Anthony Dueñas, Omar Lupercio and Jose Chavez. He completely rebuilt his Sig 320 and made it his own. Jon had his AR-15 rebuilt for him and Chris was so grateful – and beyond excited to use it. He was counting down the days to go shoot his gun with his new trigger. When he wasn’t listening to music, gaming or shooting, he was playing monopoly until 3am with his 4 main people; Vonnie, Brandon, Nya and Anthony. (I have a proposition for you). He 9 times out of 10 was the winner and you lost if you denied his trades. He was the master at monopoly but don’t be fooled – he was very sneaky and manipulative when it came to his tactics. He refused to give up his property and would try to convince you on what move to make next. Christopher was so much more than all of these things and was the best human, person and man you could ever hope to know.

As a family, Chris loved to watch movies – the most recent being the X-Men series and go on outings – the most recent being a family day at Murray Family Farms for a fun trip to the pumpkin patch. He proudly watched his new baby boy grow. He was a devoted Husband and Father. Chris, Vonnie, and CJ went to the Cherry Acres Pumpkin Patch where Chris held CJ as he rode a horse for the first time and they took a tractor ride through the corn maze where Vonnie had CJ on her lap. She looked at Chris and said : “Babe, can you believe we have a family?” To which Chris’s response was : “Yes, Vonnie, I absolutely can.” It was such a pure moment that was immediately turned into a Core Memory. They dreamt of this. They dreamt of their family, their life, their adventures, their endeavors, and their future. Chris and Vonnie were married 2 years before his passing but were a couple for 12 years prior to that. People who surrounded them would often say : “There is no Vonnie without Chris and there is no Chris without Vonnie.” They did absolutely everything together. They created every memory together. They were life partners and they cherished each other. In their early twenties, they frequented theme parks but more often than not, they could be found at Six Flags; where they rode X-2, Tatsu, Superman, Colossus, and all of the many other rides. They would enjoy the entire day together and once in a while they would ditch Six Flags early and head to Gogi House and enjoy all you can eat Korean BBQ. Chris taught Vonnie how to expand her pallet. He was very proud of that. He would often tell Vonnie : “You like sushi and Indian food because of ME!” She would often deny him that but deep down, she knew it was absolutely true. They enjoyed going to Halloween Horror Nights and Disneyland. They went to many concerts and loved to listen to music together. Their ultimate favorite activity was going to the movies, they made a list of what to watch in what order and of course, Chris’s favorite part was the popcorn. San Diego was their favorite place to visit and spend their anniversaries. Cafe Coyote was their favorite restaurant, their margarita flight was their go to drinks. Chris and Vonnie’s favorite was the Spicy Jalapeño Watermelon Margarita. They loved San Diego so much that Chris planned his proposal to Vonnie there. All of this love led to a beautiful wedding with all of their closest friends and family. It was intimate and beautiful. They exchanged their vows, promised God and themselves to be soul tied for the rest of their lives and became one flesh. They took an amazing two week honeymoon in Playa del Carmen, Mexico where they created many beautiful memories that will be forever cherished. Chris loved fiercely, unconditionally and passionately. His heart of gold will be deeply missed.

Chris began his experience in the workforce at 16 years old. He spent 6 years at Oldenkamp Trucking Inc. sanitizing the trucks that hauled milk while he was a full-time student in High School then College. In 2020, he decided to seek better opportunities where he began a career at HydroChem PSC, later changing their name to Clean Harbors, where he worked for 4 years. He underwent many roadside clean ups, hazmat cleanups, hazardous waste contaminations and went from being a technician to a lead in charge of his own crew and truck. His mentor, Gerardo Gonzalez helped him grow from a boy to a man and showed Chris how to speak up for himself, stand his ground and defend his work. He payed much respect to Gerardo for showing him that he could still be kind but firm and demand respect while still being humble.
As Chris grew further into adulthood, he took a step back and evaluated where he was in life; he had always wanted to either serve his country or community. This led him to take the leap of faith and fulfill his life long desire of being in law enforcement. With guidance, advice, and encouragement from both his father figures, Gilbert Dueñas and Jon Sandidge; he applied for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to become a Correctional Officer. He worked meticulously to ensure everything on his application was perfect with every ’t’ crossed and ‘i’ dotted. He was notified November 7, 2023 thathe was being given a conditional offer to the Substance Abuse and Treatment Facility (SATF) in Corcoran, CA and should he accept, his basic academy training would begin November 27, 2023 at the Richard McGee Correctional Training Center in Galt, CA for 16 weeks. He had put so much time, effort, organization, blood, sweat and a couple tears to get to that moment and he couldn’t have been more proud of himself. After a lengthy discussion with his Wife who was pregnant at the time, he happily accepted and prepared for the academy. Chris spent nearly 2 whole weeks at his computer making check lists, to-do lists, charts and memos to help him fully prepare to begin the academy. His biggest pet peeve in the workplace was being ill-prepared but with all his dedication, he succeeded. 16 weeks later on March 1, 2024, he graduated from a cadet in Papa company to a Correctional Officer. Christopher’s career as a C/O began on March 4, 2024. He reported to SATF prison a new, young, and eager cop willing to work hard, learn and make a name for himself; and make a name for himself, he did. He quickly made friends with his fellow partners on C-Yard and learned how to be a great cop learning tips from many of the great officers surrounding him. He promoted to a management position with the help from his mentor, Sergeant N. Miller, where he earned the reputation of : “Chris was truly a bright young man. I brought him to 2w to be part of our team because there was just something special about him. The way he carried himself, his positive attitude, his work ethic, he was just 1 of 1. And I knew he was going places. The way he would write his reports and rule violations for the inmates it was like he had been an officer for years. It was rare to see a new officer articulate incidents, etc. like the way he did. He was a light in a dark place and he had a massive impact on our yard. Prison is a negative place, but when you’re positive like he was it just creates an aura around you.” Chris had a short career of only 8 months as a Correctional Officer but his impact was huge. He loved being a cop and hoped that he would eventually grow his career at CDCR as a K-9 handler or a part of ISU (Investigative Services Unit). He was proud to be a C/O and wore his badge with honor.

Chris was well-loved at work, but loved at home even more so. He was most proud of being a father. It was not a role he took lightly. Him not having his biological father in his life to guide him in being a man made him seek a male figure on his own. He was surrounded by strong men in his Wife’s family and knew exactly the kind of man he wanted to be. He had a deep respect, love and admiration for Jon Sandidge who Chris nicknamed Papa Jon. He attested many of the characteristics he had as a father to Jon because he loved him deeply and wanted to be the father Jon was. Because of Jon, Chris knew exactly the man he wanted to teach his son to be. There was an instance where Vonnie asked, “The Martinez name is so tainted, can we not change our last name to something that we can start from scratch?” To which Chris answered, “I want to make the last name, Martinez, mean something. I want it to be something we can be proud of.” Now, it is. Chris will live on in his son and the legacy he leaves behind will forever be carried by CJ Martinez. Our Christopher was nothing short of an amazing man with the heart of pure gold. His humble persona and calm demeanor will be deeply missed. He leaves behind so many broken hearts in this world but we will be reunited with our Chris again.

Chris loved the life he lived, and he lived the life he loved. He met the Lord with a heart full of love.

Acknowledgments & Gratitude

We are most grateful for the love and generosity of our family, friends and everyone SATF prison – especially Charlie Yard. You all have shared in our sorrow and have been so kind, thoughtful and respectful. Your donations, food, prayers, flowers, visits, and calls have provided solace through this devastating time. We thank you sincerely and with the utmost gratitude. May God bless each and every one of you.