In a chilling case that has shaken Oklahoma, a 22-year-old woman has been sentenced to 38 years in federal prison for orchestrating the grisly murders of her parents while she was still a teenager.
Ashlie Nicole Rose Martin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in Indian Country, a charge linked to the violent deaths of her parents, 60-year-old Curtis Lee Martin l, a registered member of the Choctaw Nation, and 47-year-old Sherrie Pyron. The sentence was handed down in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Her two teenage accomplices, Chad Jon’Dale Voyles, now 23, and Bryson Noel Miller, now 19, were also convicted and received 35 and 25 years in prison, respectively. Both had pleaded guilty to murder in Indian Country, a charge that falls under federal jurisdiction when crimes occur on tribal lands or involve tribal citizens.
The murders, which occurred on December 22 and 23, 2020, were allegedly fueled by family tensions, allegations of sexual abuse, and a forbidden relationship.
According to court documents and testimony, Ashlie Martin sent out text messages seeking help to “get rid” of her parents. Voyles and Miller agreed to the plan. At the time, Martin was 17 and dating Miller, who was just 15. She believed she was pregnant, a claim that was later proven false, and said her parents disapproved of the relationship, which she claimed triggered years of emotional and sexual trauma.
Reports revealed Curtis Martin had a disturbing past. He had previously served an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a child under 12. At the time of his death, he was on probation and prohibited from living near children, residing instead in a camper near the family home.
During court proceedings, Ashlie’s defense attorney, Douglas Smith II, portrayed her as a victim of prolonged abuse. “Being in jail is the safest place she has been since the Choctaw Nation took her away from her foster family,” he told the court.
U.S. District Judge David C. Joseph acknowledged the likelihood of Martin having suffered serious abuse, pointing to systemic failures that may have contributed to her turning to violence. Still, the sentence reflects the gravity of premeditated murder, especially when plotted with such brutality.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Traster, Martin recruited Voyles and Miller to carry out the killings. In a message to a friend, she allegedly said, “I’m just getting rid of them, and then everything will be okay. Cause after they gone, I’m free for good.”
The federal indictment laid out horrifying details. Martin directed Voyles to “kill my mother then take out my father then get what u need take one at a time put into the whole [sic] then the next one.”
That night, Martin let the two boys into her home through a window around 11:30 p.m. They found Pyron asleep on the couch and beat her to death, with Voyles reportedly slitting her throat after hearing her “gurgling.” The next morning, Ashlie prepared eggs and bacon for the boys while they buried her mother’s body.
Later that day, they waited for Curtis Martin to return. When he arrived, Voyles tried to kill him with a bow and arrow, but missed. He then attempted to use a 25-pound dumbbell, and eventually, the two teens doused him with gasoline and set him on fire.
A shocking twist emerged when Miller’s attorney revealed that Martin had fabricated multiple lies, including that she was pregnant and that she had a twin sister named “Charlie” who was dating Voyles. “She did not have a twin sister,” the attorney stated in a memo, arguing that both boys were manipulated by Martin under false pretenses and trauma narratives.
Both Voyles and Miller expressed remorse during their sentencing hearings, offering apologies for their roles in the murders.
Despite the violent nature of the crime, Ashlie Martin’s aunt offered a moment of compassion in court. “We still love you,” she said, addressing her niece directly.
