Viswa Vanapalli
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Married With Secrets: Fear the Ether Man’ probes the case of Robert Howard Bruce, a serial rapist who evaded the authorities for more than two decades before finally being captured. But before his arrest, Robert was married to Joy Lynn Martinez, who had no idea about her husband’s actions throughout their time together. On the show, she shares her experiences and talks about Robert’s behavior during their marriage. Curious to know where Joy Lynn Martinez might be now? Here’s everything we know!
Who is Joy Lynn Martinez?
Joy Lynn Martinez was a single mother of two sons when she first met Robert Bruce in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in June 2001. The then 27-year-old had taken a much-needed break and was hanging out with a friend at a bar when Robert came by. Soon, they started dating. Robert was a divorced father of three who later moved to Pueblo, Colorado, to be closer to his kids. The couple got married in September 2003, and eventually, Joy and her kids moved to Pueblo to live with Robert.
Joy said that in the initial months, Robert was a sweet, sincere, and romantic man who took good care of her and her kids. But once Joy moved to Pueblo in 2004, the perfect relationship seemed to develop cracks. Joy stated that Robert had become controlling. He wouldn’t let her buy makeup or replace her hairdryer. While Robert had initially promised to pay for her to go back to school and get a degree after she moved to Pueblo for him, he would put that off time and again.
At one point, Joy was going through a few videotapes to find one of her son’s recordings. But what she found instead sickened her to her stomach. It was a tape of Robert recording himself having sex with Joy while she was unconscious. He had raped her. Joy decided that it was time to end the relationship and moved back to Albuquerque with her sons. However, Robert Bruce wouldn’t give up easily and asked Joy for another chance by wooing her the same way he did during their courting phase.
After the move, Joy had been struggling with money and had gone back to working at her sister’s business. Robert tried to win her back while she was contemplating divorce. It was in 2009 that Joy had come across an article about the notorious Ether Man who had committed multiple sexual assaults spanning different states. After going through the article, Joy started to realize that the places where the attacks happened lined up with Robert’s travels and his time before she met him. She considered if Robert was the Ether Man but quickly dismissed that idea.
Just a few days later, a policeman showed up at her doorstep. She learned that Robert had been arrested for the attempted murder of a policeman who was supposed to testify in a Peeping Tom case against him. A DNA test soon revealed that it was, in fact, Robert who was the Ether Man. He had confessed to the police about his actions that spanned close to two decades. Robert Bruce was sentenced to more than 100 years each for the crimes that he committed in Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Where is Joy Lynn Martinez Now?
On the Investigation Discovery show, Joy Lynn Martinez said that she didn’t know if she could ever move on completely and that she still had nightmares about him. She said, “I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that I married someone so evil.” Joy also testified at Robert’s trial in Pueblo, Colorado, after initially being hesitant about it.
Joy still seems to live in New Mexico and has been outspoken against domestic violence. She felt that it was important to share her story in the hope that it would help someone else. Joy also thanked the people who rallied around her in the aftermath for their support. She has since moved on with her life and seems to be spending time with her children and granddaughter.
Read More: Where is Robert Bruce Now?
