Keene woman indicted in death of Justina Steffy; Grand jury returns multiple charges against two defendants

Andrea Martin, 42, and Christian Torruellas, 32, are now formally charged with crimes including dispensing a controlled drug resulting in death, kidnapping, falsifying evidence, and human trafficking, according to an announcement Wednesday from New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella.

The indictments allege that Martin knowingly supplied Steffy with a fentanyl-laced substance that led to her death. She is also accused of removing Steffy’s body from Keene and dumping it in Warwick, Massachusetts. Steffy had been reported missing in early October, and her body was later located with help from a second woman who survived the alleged abuse.

In a related series of indictments, both Martin and Torruellas are charged with kidnapping in connection with the confinement of Karen Miner, who they allegedly held from about Oct. 1 to Oct. 17, 2024. Prosecutors say the pair, “acting in concert with and aided by another,” knowingly confined Miner under their control with a purpose to terrorize Miner and/or others.

Martin also faces an additional kidnapping charge for allegedly confining Steffy from October 10 to October 13, again “with a purpose to terrorize.”

Both defendants have now also been indicted for human trafficking, with the grand jury alleging they knowingly compelled a third woman—whose name is being withheld—to perform labor and sex acts through violence, confinement, drug dependency, and threats of serious harm. According to testimony, that woman was subjected to repeated assaults, locked in a dog crate, and forced to participate in Steffy’s confinement and eventual overdose.

During a February probable cause hearing, the surviving woman testified that Martin blamed Steffy for a failed shoplifting attempt and coerced her into injecting Steffy with the fatal dose. A Massachusetts medical examiner later determined Steffy died from a combination of fentanyl and xylazine.

Authorities believe several individuals visited the Island Street home during the period of confinement, and some may have participated in the abuse, though no additional charges have been announced as of Wednesday.

Martin and Torruellas are scheduled to be arraigned in Cheshire County Superior Court on June 12. Both remain in custody—Torruellas since last fall on unrelated drug charges, and Martin since her recent arrest.

Attorneys for the defendants have challenged the credibility of the surviving witness, citing her history of drug use, but prosecutors argue her account is supported by phone records, surveillance video, and other investigative evidence. Judge Patrick Ryan denied a motion to dismiss charges against Torruellas earlier this year.