09/07/2026
46 years, it's been a lifetime of waiting. Rocky and Larry were brutally murdered 46 years ago today and the memory of that tragedy is still fresh for many of us.
These pictures were given to Rocky's family after his death. They are the last photos of him taken while he was alive. We thank these Marines for being such good friends to him and supplying these photos.
Now it's up to NCIS to solve this crime, it's not too late. If anyone has information, please come forward and help us.
NCIS is investigating this horrible double homicide, and in addition to the Crime Stoppers reward, they are offering an additional $10,000 reward. A Crime Stoppers newspaper article from October 30, 1983, states, “1980 murder of 2 Marines still unsolved. The search for the killer or killers of two young Marines in Hawaii Kai should be a high priority for our government.
The brutal murders were publicized by Crime Stoppers in June 1981, but police have not received any new leads.
Rodney 'Rocky' Padilla, 21, and Lawrence Martens, 19, were found dead Sunday morning, September 7, 1980. Their battered and bullet-riddled bodies were lying in the dirt at Maunalua Bay Beach Park, just off Kalanianaole Highway. A fisherman found the bodies next to the young men's borrowed car about 6:40 a.m. The car, a 1971 blue Buick, was parked under a lone kiawe tree between the park restroom and the boat ramp. The day before, the two lance corporals left the Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station heading towards Waikiki for their off-duty day. Police said the two stopped at an ABC store in Waikiki to buy a six-pack of beer in the evening. Where they went afterwards remains a mystery. Police have been told of two motorcycles zooming out of the park a few hours before the murders, but no concrete information has been received.”
Contact the NCIS Hotline or Honolulu Crime Stoppers at 808-955-8300. Rewards are available; we need justice for them now! See less