Carlos Martinez (Oz)

Carlos Martinez, played by Carlos Leon, is an Hispanic inmate in the HBO drama Oz.

Character overview

"Prisoner #98M232. Convicted October 6, 1998 - Two counts of Murder in the first degree. Sentence: Life imprisonment without the possibly of parole."

Sentenced for stabbing to death an elderly couple in broad dayllight on the street, he's El Norte's main enforcer in Unit B, the gen pop. Martinez exists mainly to commit several tasks for the Latinos outside of Emerald City. He eventually goes to solitary confinement where he dies allegedly of an infection in the air ducts. Although it was never said there seemed to be some sort of chemistry between Carlos and Dr. Nathan.

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Martinez first appears attempting to kill Latino inmate Miguel Alvarez on the orders of Carmen Guerra and Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez while in the hospital ward. Alvarez however escapes and El Cid angered orders all of their outside connections to put a hit on Alvarez if he is found. Shortly afterwards, new inmate Enrique Morales manipulates elderly inmate Bob Rebadow into killing El Cid and takes over El Norte, Oz's Latino gang. Later in the season when Morales loses money on a staff-inmate Basketball game, Martinez is ordered to slice the Achilles' tendon of officer Dave Brass, the staff member with NBA potential who was the reason for the staff's win. Martinez starts a fight only to get Brass' attention and then while on the floor slices Brass' tendon, permanently destroying his chances to play in the NBA.

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Carlos returns to Unit B where he carries out El Norte's orders. In the cafeteria, he starts a fight with inmate Omar White who made fun of Guerra for going into the Emerald City cage. Officer Brass in the meantime is looking for the details pertaining to who sliced his tendon and as he is looking in Unit B, Martinez douses him with a vile "cocktail" comprised of urine, vomit, fecal matter, and blood. The COs beat him to the point of needing medical attention and then throw him into solitary confinement. When Dr. Nathan comes to treat him, Officer Travis Smith refuses to allow him into the hospital without the consent of Warden Glynn. As Smith is ordered by Dr. Nathan to permit him into the hospital, Martinez begins fondling her during the check up. She has a flashback to a recent rape attack and assaults Martinez. In the hospital, Officer Murphy interrogates Martinez since he believes Martinez was responsible for Brass's injury. Carlos returns to solitary confinement.

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At the start of the season, Officer Claire Howell, one of solitary's supervising officers, makes sexual advances on several inmates and Martinez is one of her favorites. At the bi-annual solitary review, Howell claims that Martinez does not deserve to be released from solitary but secretly wants him to stay so she can contine to use him for sex. Warden Glynn refuses to release both Greg Penders and Martinez since he will not allow any inmates who have attacked COs back into Gen Pop. The air ducts in solitary become contaminated and Martinez becomes gravely ill. He is near death in the hospital and Officer Brass takes this opportunity to questions him one last time. As he is about to die, a bitter and angry nurse, Carol Grace, suffocates him to death. Brass uses Martinez's death as an opportunity to exact revenge on Morales whom he feels is responsible for the permanent damage to his Achilles' tendon.

References