by Liz Mullen
The man the Redondo Beach Police Department arrested and charged with the murder of Teddy Campos was released on March 8, after being taken to court because the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office declined to charge him.
“The case was sent back to law enforcement on March 8 for further investigation,” Venusse Dunn, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told the Easy Reader, in an email.
Redondo Police Chief Joe Hoffman confirmed on Tuesday that Martinez was released without bail two days after he was arrested.
“Although this is an unexpected aspect of the investigation, our detectives are still working diligently on the case and working closely with the District Attorney’s Office,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman said the RBPD served a search warrant on Martinez’ residence and recovered evidence prior to arresting him, but declined to describe the evidence.
“I can’t really talk about it until the case is closed,” Martinez said in one TikTok video. “Is there a case? Possibly. I don’t know. They’re just like, ‘Hey, you see that f…. Mexican right there? … with the tattoos on the face. Go ahead and this and that….”
“My bad. Shit. I didn’t fucking do it.”
Chief Hoffman, when told that Martinez was implying he was arrested because he is Mexican and has facial tattoos, responded, “People can say whatever they want on social media. All I can tell you is that our detectives are diligently working on the case.”
Hoffman urged anyone with information about Campos’ death to call or text the RBPD tip line at (310) 339-2362, or to provide tips anonymously at crimetips@redondo.com. “We did receive a lot of valuable information from the public,” Hoffman said of the investigation.
The Campos family was distraught at the news that the man arrested for Teddy’s murder was released. “It is unbelievable how this transpired,” his brother Andrew said, at a memorial service for Campos on Tuesday.
“The first devastation is he got murdered,” Andrew said. The fact that a person who was arrested and charged by the police for his murder was set free is “the second devastation,” Andrew said.
About 50 to 100 people attended the Teddy Campos memorial service at the First United Methodist Church in Redondo Beach. He he was remembered as a kind, funny free spirit and someone who could light up a room.
“I can’t believe someone killed him,” one friend of Campos told the Easy Reader before the service. The friend, who lived with Campos for six months, and did not want to be identified, said Campos was a man everyone liked and someone who avoided fights or conflicts of any kind.
The manager of the DollarTree in Hawthorne, where Campos worked, also came to pay his respects and said he was a good employee. “He was such a nice guy,” said the manager.
“We were devastated,” Campos’ brother Andrew said of the family when they learned that Campos had been fatally shot. “We still are devastated,” he told the other mourners at the service.
Campos was described as very close to his mother, brother and two sisters. He spent the 2023 holidays with them, buying presents for his five nieces and nephews. One of those nieces, a girl of about six, had to be consoled and escorted out of the service by an adult because she was weeping uncontrollably. ER
