Arrest made in slaying of man whose head was found in Griffith Park

Gabriel Campos-Martinez, a 38-year-old former chef, was charged Monday with one count of murder in the death of Hervey Medellin, 66, whose severed head, hands and feet were found in Griffith Park in January 2012.

Campos-Martinez was arrested Sunday in San Antonio and is being held on $1-million bail.

L.A. County Deputy Dist. Atty. Bobby Grace said Campos-Martinez may have learned that Medellin, a former Mexicana Airlines employee, planned to break off their romantic relationship.

"Somehow, either directly or indirectly, he may have gotten the hint he wasn't going to be around and that triggered him to do this," Grace told The Times.

The Times' Kate Mather and Richard Winton reported that it took investigators more than two years to assemble their case:

"This was a lengthy investigation, and they reached the point where they believe they had evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed the murder," LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said.

Grace said Campos-Martinez moved to San Antonio, where his extended family lives, about a year after Medellin's death. He married a woman there, the prosecutor said, and worked concessions at the San Antonio Convention Center.

"He built a new life for himself," Grace said.

If convicted, Campos-Martinez faces 25 years to life in state prison.

Read the full report: Suspect held in death of man whose head was found in Griffith Park

— Los Angeles Times Staff

Photo: Gabriel Campos-Martinez. Credit: Associated Press