Husband Confesses To Killing Wife, Leaving Body In Ditch: Sheriff

SANDY, OR — This past March, Martin Gallo-Gallardo was accused of beating his wife in a drunken rage. On Tuesday, he was charged with her murder.

Coral Rodriguez-Lorenzo's body was found Sunday morning dumped into a ditch in rural Clackamas County more than 20 miles from her Portland home. She'd been reported missing in Portland, yet Rodriguez-Lorenzo went roughly 24 hours before she was positively identified.

Shortly after verifying Rodriguez-Lorenzo's identity on Monday, however, Clackamas County Sheriff's deputies and Portland police located and brought in Gallo-Gallardo for questioning; speaking with a bilingual detective, Gallo-Gallardo reportedly confessed to killing his wife.

Gallo-Gallardo, 45, is now being held at Clackamas County Jail on one count of murder. Ineligible for bail, his arraignment is set for Tuesday afternoon.

According to the sheriff's office, a Camp Namanu employee found Rodriguez-Lorenzo around 10:30 a.m. Oct. 28 in the ditch along Southeast Camp Namanu Road, near the Sandy River in the Bull Run/Sandy area. Authorities believe she was dropped there sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

For law enforcement, the grisly discovery marked the second serious run-in with Gallo-Gallardo and Rodriguez-Lorenzo this year.

(Sign up for our free daily newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Portland Patch)

On March 4, around 4:30 a.m., the couple's eldest daughter called police to the family's Southeast Portland home after her father allegedly began beating her mother in a drunken rage.

According to court documents describing the incident, Gallo-Gallardo came home drunk and angry with bruises forming on his face after attending a party with Rodriguez-Lorenzo. His daughter told police he complained about Rodriguez-Lorenzo dancing with one of her uncles at the party, but when Gallo-Gallardo tried in intervene in the dancing a fight ensued and he was ultimately forced to leave.

Now with his daughter in tow, Gallo-Gallardo returned to the party to retrieve Rodriguez-Lorenzo.

On their way home, Gallo-Gallardo and Rodriguez-Lorenzo began arguing, the daughter said. During the argument, her father reportedly pulled out one of her mother's earrings.

Back at home, the couple's daughter reportedly went inside and collected her younger siblings while Gallo-Gallardo and Rodriguez-Lorenzo remained in the car outside.

All huddled together, the kids then listened as their parents' shouting continued inside the house, documents state.

During interviews with officers, each of the children reported hearing the sound of their father hitting their mother for roughly 10 to 15 minutes, until Rodriguez-Lorenzo was able to lock herself inside a bathroom.

After interviewing the children police tried to interview Rodriguez-Lorenzo, but she reportedly refused to speak — even after officers acknowledged the welts and bruises forming across her face.

Gallo-Gallardo, too drunk and incoherent to be interviewed, was subsequently arrested and later released on bail, documents show.

Roughly eight days later, assault charges against Gallo-Gallardo were dismissed after Rodriguez-Lorenzo indicated she was not interesting in pursuing the case.

On Tuesday Rodriguez-Lorenzo's family created a GoFundMe campaign to help offset the cost of a funeral. Setup with a $10,000 goal, the campaign has raised $102 as of this writing.

If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic violence, direct them to the following resources based on the area in which they live:

• Multnomah County residents click here (link redirects to The Gateway Center in Portland)
• Washington County residents click here (link redirects to Washington County Family Justice Center)
• Clackamas County residents click here (link redirects to Clackamas Women's Services)

Top image: Coral Rodriguez-Lorenzo, via GoFundMe

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner