(FOX40.COM) — A woman pleaded not guilty to murder and related charges on Sept. 30 in the shooting of her long-term partner at the Howard Johnson Inn.

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On Sept. 25, the Ceres Police Department reported that 38-year-old Franklin Martin had mysteriously died after employees found him in a motel room with a gunshot wound. Around the same time, 40-year-old Zella Latrice Holmes, who was Martin's partner, was in contact with other CPD officers, reporting that she was a victim of domestic abuse.

After connecting Holmes to Martin, officers tried to ask if she knew anything about his death until she led them on a pursuit. When eventually taken into custody, Holmes confessed to officers that she shot him in the motel room.

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