The governor of Maryland. Wes Moore said state flags will fly at half-staff until a slain parole officer is buried.
On Friday, the officer, Davis Martinez, 33, went to check on a registered sex offender who had been released from prison in 2021. But after Martinez failed to return to work, Montgomery County officers went to the offender’s apartment. There they found the body of the missing parole officer.
Martinez was pronounced dead at the apartment in the 2800 block of Terrace Drive in Chevy Chase, police said.
Sex offender arrested in West Virginia following death of Officer Davis Martinez
The man Martinez had gone to see, Emanuel Edward Sewell, 54, was not in the apartment, prompting police to launch a manhunt for a little more than 24 hours.
On Saturday evening, agents with the U.S. Marshals Task Force found Sewell on Interstate 64 near Hurricane, West Virginia, about a six-hour drive from his apartment in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
They arrested him on a warrant for second-degree murder.
“Officer Martinez served with distinction and our state is safer because of him”
Martinez worked for six years at the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) and worked in the Silver Spring field office.
“Officer Martinez served with distinction and our state is safer because of him – our entire state mourns his loss and those he loved,” Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement Saturday evening. “I would like to thank our dedicated law enforcement community for their tireless and successful efforts to apprehend the suspect and for their unwavering pursuit of justice for Officer Martinez, his family, friends and colleagues.
According to Maryland DPSCS, Martinez had been Sewell’s parole officer for some time and Sewell previously posed no risk.
“He was alone during the home visit, and it’s typical for them to attend alone,” Maryland Secretary of Public Safety and Corrections Carolyn Scruggs said. “The suspect served 25 out of 29 sentences and was released on parole.”
The medical examiner determined the circumstances of Martinez’s death to be a homicide, Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones said. Although the cause is not yet known, Jones said Martinez suffered multiple injuries.
Martinez was the first Maryland Division of Parole and Probation officer to be killed by a client while on duty, Maryland DPSCS said.
His death is a stark reminder of the dangers these agents face.
“They are unsung heroes that we often don’t hear about, but they are in law enforcement and they do a great job,” Scruggs said.