Hello listeners, I'm your host Amara, and this is Black Girl God, a true crime podcast.

On this episode of Black Girl God, we tell the story of Catherine Martinez, a 24-year-old woman who was brutally murdered in 2014 in Houston, Texas.

Catherine had recently broke up with her abusive ex and was trying to start over with her two children, but her ex had other plans.

On July 1, 2014, Catherine's ex walked into a police station and told police he had Catherine had not been into a fight.

But when police arrived at Catherine's apartment, they found her dead. Her ex said it was a fight, but this wasn't a fight. It was a brutal murder.

This is Catherine's story.

If you don't already know, victims of domestic violence are often the most at risk once they leave an abusive partner.

The loss of control the abuser fills when someone leaves them can often escalate the violence.

That's why it's important not to judge people in these situations. There are so many layers that affect their decisions to stay or to leave.

Domestic violence doesn't just look a certain way, and it doesn't only happen to a certain kind of person.

The story of what happened to Catherine Martinez is a tragedy that tore her family apart.

She was so young and full of life. She was the mother of two boys and an aspiring fitness model who was well on her way to being very successful.

But her success was cut short by a man who just could not let go.

When Catherine met him, she thought that he would change her life, and instead, he took her life.

According to Catherine's sister, she was always a very ambitious person and was the kind of person who did whatever she put her mind to.

Catherine had a passion for fitness. She was a certified fitness instructor, and her love for fitness and her beauty led her into the world of fitness modeling.

You can see from her pictures that Catherine was an amazing shape, and she studied to be a boxer too.

She was very, very serious about her craft, and even participated in some bodybuilding competitions, which she even won a few of.

For a young woman, she was quickly finding a lot of success.

However, when Catherine met a man named Russell Neill, according to her mother, Mary Figueroa, that is when everything in Catherine's life changed, and not for the better.

The details of how or when Catherine met Russell are unclear, but according to her family, Catherine was immediately enamored by this man.

The name Russell Neill may be familiar to some people.

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