WILTON, CA (MPG) - A 29-year-old man accused of brutally murdering his mother was arrested following a five-hour standoff Aug. 28 at a home on Alta Mesa Road in the Wilton area.

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi said John Martinez, 29, was arrested on a murder charge. 

“Detectives learned that Martinez hit the victim, his 64-year-old mother, repeatedly with a shovel,” Gandhi said. “He then ran her over with his vehicle and tried to set her on fire.”

The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim as Salud Martinez, 64. Other media outlets reported that her husband was out of the country at the time of the incident.

Gandhi said the initial report came from a worker on the property who saw a woman down in her driveway. The Wilton Fire Protection District was dispatched to a medical aid call in the 11500 block of Alta Mesa Road at 2:11 p.m. Aug. 28. Although inside the fire district, the house has a Galt mailing address.

The Sheriff’s Office was called to assist at 2:40 p.m., due to suspicious circumstances. 

“When deputies arrived, it was clear the woman had been assaulted and was deceased,” Gandhi said. “They learned an adult son was likely still inside the house and began efforts to have him exit.”

Despite several announcements over the public address system, the adult son “refused to exit or communicate with the deputies outside,” Gandhi said.

The Sheriff’s Office then deployed its SWAT Team, hostage negotiators, K-9 and drone teams, and armored vehicles including The Rook. At approximately 8 p.m., the SWAT Team entered the residence and took Martinez into custody.

Martinez was arrested for murder and transported to the Sacramento County Main Jail where he is being held without bail. Martinez was arraigned during a brief appearance in a jail courtroom on Aug. 30 and was assigned a court-appointed counsel.

Due to an ongoing strike by county prosecutors and public defenders, no representatives of the prosecution or defense were available to comment after the arraignment.

Martinez’s next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 16.