Convicted sex offender Emanuel Sewell, left, allegedly murdered his parole officer, Davis Martinez, right, during a routine visit to his Chevy Chase, Maryland, home. Cops arrested Sewell in West Virginia. (Sewell: Montgomery County police; Martinez: MDOC)
A convicted sex offender in Maryland allegedly killed his parole officer during a routine check to his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, officials said.
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Parole and Probation Agent Davis Martinez, 33, was found dead shortly before 6 p.m. on May 31. Montgomery County Police Department responded to the home of 54-year-old Emanuel Edward Sewell after Martinez did not return from a visit. Cops entered the apartment and found Martinez dead inside, with Sewell gone.
Washington, D.C. NBC affiliate WRC obtained an arrest affidavit that said cops located a bloody towel near the front door. Martinez’s body was reportedly found wrapped in plastic under a bed. A cause of death has yet to be released, but officials say Martinez suffered “multiple injuries” and was murdered. Cops found Martinez’s car in the parking lot and believe his cellphone was ditched in a dumpster.
Cops issued an arrest warrant for Sewell, and they captured him around 5 p.m. June 1 as he drove on Interstate 64 near Hurricane, West Virginia, nearly 400 miles from Chevy Chase, officials said.
Sewell is charged with second-degree murder, but that reportedly is expected to be upped to first-degree murder. He was extradited to Maryland, and a judge arraigned him on the second-degree murder charge on Monday.
Officials say Sewell was released in 2021 after serving 25 years in prison for a violent sexual assault. WRC reported Sewell broke into a sleeping man’s apartment in October 1996, bound his hands and feet, and raped him.
Corrections officials said Martinez had been Sewell’s parole officer for a while. It’s typical for officers to conduct the checks alone. Officials believe Martinez is the first parole officer in Maryland to be killed in the line of duty.
Martinez had worked in the Silver Spring office for about six years.
“Davis Martinez was a thorough and caring agent who sought to help clients improve their lives,” said Parole and Probation Director Martha Danner. “The Silver Spring office will sorely miss him because he was a sensitive soul who always helped everyone.”
The department posted a tribute video of coworkers talking about his passion for the job and his willingness to help people change their lives. In a 2021 interview with the department as part of the tribute video, Martinez talked about his love for his coworkers.
“Overall, I do see them like a second family,” he said.
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