Suvechha Sarkar
In March 2017, the murder of 53-year-old Leonora A. Montoya sent shockwaves through the community of Sacramento, California. The 53-year-old was a beloved wife and a dutiful mother of four. What followed was a homicide investigation that revealed a robbery gone wrong. The heartbreaking case comes into focus on A&E’s ‘Murder at the Motel: Surf Motel’ and retraces the circumstances surrounding the crime. It also delves deeper into the detailed investigation, featuring in-depth interviews with individuals closely related to the case.
Leonora Montoya Was Found Dead From a Gunshot Wound in a Motel
Leonora A. Montoya arrived as a beacon of light in the lives of her parents sometime around 1964. Although there are not many public reports about her early life, we do know that she was well-known among her loved ones as someone with a free spirit and an outgoing personality. After stepping into adulthood, Leonora welcomed her son, Angel Rivera Jr., and her daughters, Amanda and Raquel Rivera, into the world. She eventually met Roger Martin, and they soon came closer to one another. It wasn’t long before they tied the knot in the presence of their family and friends. Over the years, they gave birth to their son, Anthony Martin, and daughter Julia Martin. Leonora was living a happy life and often hung out with her friend, Katherine Archuleta.
According to reports, Leonora was spending time with Katherine on March 19, 2017, when the latter asked about getting a tattoo. So, Leonora reportedly told her about a tattoo artist. Together, they arrived at the Surf Motel on Auburn Boulevard in Sacramento, California, to get the tattoo around 9:07 pm. However, things took a turn around 11:45 pm when the authorities received a report of hearing a gunshot at the motel. When they arrived at the scene, they discovered Leonora dead from a gunshot wound to the head, slumped over in a chair. They found a closed pocketknife in her right hand. Additionally, officials discovered a .45 caliber spent bullet casing in the room. The autopsy determined her cause of death to be from the fatal gunshot wound.
A Sudden Robbery During a Tattoo Session Turned Fatal For Leonora Montoya
Initially, detectives questioned Katherine, who was present at the scene. According to police records, Leonora had reportedly mentioned to Katherine that she knew a tattoo artist, James Martin Baca. James was the boyfriend of Rebecca Irene Temme, who was Leonora’s former girlfriend. Court records indicate that Leonora contacted Rebecca for the same purpose, and they agreed to meet. As per Katherine’s statements, Leonora met Rebecca at a gas station with her and their friend, Ikon, around 8:30 pm. However, reports state that Rebecca allegedly told Leonora that James wouldn’t give them a tattoo because they weren’t supposed to bring Ikon. Shortly after, Leonora reportedly dropped Ikon off at another store and picked up James and Rebecca, before they headed off to the motel.
According to court records, Katherine informed the detectives that after they entered the room and shut the door, James pulled out a gun. She continued in her statements that James then pointed the firearm towards her and Leonora, and reportedly asked them to place their mobile phones on the table. Reports state that James asked Leonora for the car keys, but when she resisted, he reportedly shot her. Katherine said that James and Rebecca then took Leonora’s car keys and their valuables before fleeing the scene in the stolen car. On March 20, 2017, officials spotted James and Rebecca in Leonora’s car, with the latter driving it. However, when they sped off, it led to a high-speed car chase in the Bay Area city of Menlo Park. Shortly after, they reportedly crashed the car and fled on foot, but investigators quickly apprehended them.
Detectives discovered magazines and James’ .45 caliber handgun from the vehicle, which was reportedly confirmed to be the same weapon that was used to murder Leonora. They also found out that Rebecca and Leonora had recently experienced a significant fallout. Ultimately, Rebecca was charged with robbery, first-degree murder of Leonora, with the special circumstance that it happened during robbery, and violation of her Post-Release Community Supervision. James was charged with first-degree murder with two counts of robbery with gun enhancements, the special circumstance that the murder was committed during a robbery, a firearm discharge causing death enhancement, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
James Baca and Rebecca Temme Are Incarcerated at California Prison Facilities Today
The joint trial of James and Rebecca began in May 2019. During the trial, the prosecution presented the firearm evidence and the witness testimony of Katherine before the court. On the other hand, the defense questioned the credibility of Katherine’s testimony. James took the stand himself and claimed he shot Leonora in self-defense. In his testimony, he alleged that aside from the tattoo, Leonora and Katherine wanted to buy drugs from him as well. He claimed that when he was taking out the drugs, he allegedly saw Leonora standing up with her hand on the right side. James testified that he allegedly believed he was being robbed, and hence, he shot her. Ultimately, on May 14, 2019, James and Rebecca were convicted of murder and robbery with the enhancement charges. James was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
They were sentenced on June 28, 2019. James received life without the possibility of parole for the murder and 25 years to life for the associated firearm enhancement. Additionally, he was sentenced to a consecutive 12 years in prison for robbery convictions — along with an additional 20 and 25-year terms for the enhancement charges. However, one robbery conviction and the associated 25-year term for gun enhancement were stayed in accordance with section 654. In addition, he was sentenced to a consecutive 16 months in prison for possession of a firearm as a felon. In total, alongside a life without parole sentence, James was sentenced to serve 58 years and 4 months.
Rebecca received life without parole for murder, plus consecutive 6-year terms for robbery convictions, one of which was stayed. Following her conviction, she appealed the judgment, claiming that her convictions should be reversed due to insufficient evidence and that the special-circumstance finding was invalid following the enactment of Senate Bill 1437. The court reportedly modified her judgment to correct the trial court’s omission of specific mandatory assessments. However, they affirmed her conviction and sentence on September 24, 2020.
James also appealed his conviction, alleging that there was insufficient evidence to support his convictions and that the trial court had committed an error by excluding specific evidence regarding Katherine’s prior run-in with the law. However, the court upheld his sentencing on March 9, 2021. Following that, James filed a petition for review to the Supreme Court of California on April 16, 2021, which was reportedly denied. As of writing, Rebecca is serving her sentence at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, California. James is currently incarcerated at California State Prison – Sacramento in Folsom, California.
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