Mark Martinez left for medical school interviews in Pennsylvania Tuesday - the same day his mother was slain as she worked the evening shift at Payless Shoesource in West Jordan.
For Mark, the interviews marked the culmination of years of study and of his mom's encouragement. Upon hearing the news of her death, he immediately returned to Utah to rejoin his brother and father."We've always worried about her working that late at night," especially where she was the only employee in the store, he said.
"But we never thought it would happen to us."
Margaret Ann Martinez, 50, was found smothered and stabbed to death late Tuesday after her husband, Luis, became worried when she was late returning home.
Luis drove to the Briarwood Plaza at 7915 S. Redwood Road and made a cursory search of the store. The front door had been shattered, and his wife's purse remained in sight. Initially, he believed she had been kidnapped and contacted authorities.
Police found her body in a storage room in the rear of the store. They recovered a murder weapon but would not identify it Thursday.
"Our family is not concerned how it happened," said Mark, a senior in biology/chemistry at the University of Utah. "We don't want to think about how she went."
Margaret's children and husband are struggling to understand why her life ended so suddenly. For Mark, 22, the violent details of his mother's death are alien to how she lived - with joy.
"Whatever time she had she would spend with her family," he said. "She enjoyed life."
Her encouragement spanned more than just his academic ambitions.
Mark and his 19-year-old brother, Eric - a sophomore economics student at the U. - both played high school baseball.
"She never missed a game," he said. "She always encouraged us."
Margaret moved to Utah from Pueblo, Colo., early in her childhood. The Martinez family moved several times due to Luis' job in aviation but eventually resettled in Utah. Luis now works as an air-traffic automation specialist at the Salt Lake International Airport.
Margaret enjoyed her work as assistant manager of the retail store and worked full time. At the time of her death, the family was planning a vacation to celebrate Mark's impending graduation.
An autopsy report Wednesday verified the cause of death. Police officials say they are moving slow on the case, so as not to miss anything.
"There are many theories," said West Jordan Police Capt. Randy M. Johnson. "We have many interviews and a lot of scene to process. We literally agonize (over the scene) and take days."