A 46-year-old man has been charged with killing a woman who disappeared after last being seen with him at a Seattle Mariners game.
Brett Michael Gitchel pleaded not guilty Monday to second-degree murder in the death of Leticia "Leti" Martinez-Cosman, 58, whose body was found over a week after the pair were seen together during and after a March 31 ballgame at T-Mobile Park.
Gitchel was arrested in the days after the game, accused of abducting Martinez-Cosman's adult son, torching her SUV and stealing diamonds from Costco.
He was held in jail in lieu of $5 million bail, and a spokesperson for the prosecuting attorney's office said after Martinez-Cosman's body was found April 11 that Gitchel would be charged with murder.
Gitchel also pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that include attempted first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree arson.
Martinez-Cosman has been remembered as an outgoing woman who "always looked at stuff on the brighter side," said Ricardo Martinez, her brother. She was devoted to creating a sense of community wherever she was, whomever she was with, Martinez said.
Martinez-Cosman had a wide range of interests but especially enjoyed fashion, fashion design and cooking. She owned a White Center coffee shop called Cafe Rozella in the 2000s.
The community has raised more than $41,500 to support her family through a GoFundMe account set up by her brother.
