California man accused of murdering roommate, burying him in the backyard
"'I love you mom, you are my rock,' and that was the last time I talked to my son."
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- The family of a man found buried in the backyard of a Riverside home is speaking out after he was allegedly killed by his roommate.
"I want that monster to know what a beautiful human being he took from us," said Leona Hodo.
Hodo said she last spoke to her son, Bradley Minder, on Oct. 12 after his alleged housemate ransacked his room.
"He wanted to let me know that he is back at the house that he was cleaning up his room, because the man broke into his room and destroyed a lot of his stuff," she said.
Three days later, her son's body was found buried in the backyard of the home.
Riverside police said they were called to a residence on the 8700 block of Sylvan Drive after Minder had been not been seen or heard from for several days.
At the home, a man identified as 48-year-old Richard Thomas Martinez made statements claiming he killed his roommate, police said.
Martinez was detained while detectives searched the home. Minder's remains were found in the backyard buried.
The victim's family said the two did not know each other and that Martinez stayed off and on at the home, which belonged to his grandfather.
"Bradley didn't really know him, the guy was on some bender or something. He wasn't right in the head ... drugs -- he was constantly smoking meth and stuff," said Vinnie Casella, Minder's brother.
Casella said his brother was prepared to leave the home once he found a new room to rent.
"The day after the cops arrested the guy, the thought he would be safe and not have to worry about the guy being out, and he came back to all his stuff destroyed," said Casella.
He said Martinez was initially arrested for disorderly conduct and being in the possession of a controlled substance when he assaulted his own grandfather and then ransacked his brother's room prior to the murder.
"He never got mad at anyone, he was never an angry person, he was loving had a heart of gold," said Hodo.
Minder, who was the oldest in his family, helped raise his younger siblings and is remembered as friendly and protective of those he loved.
"He told me he was going to be OK, said, "I love you mom, you are my rock," and that was the last time I talked to my son," she said.
Hodo says she'll be in the courtroom on Nov. 4th when Martinez is arraigned on murder charges.
A GoFundMe account has been setup to help with the family with burial expenses.
