A Chevy Chase, Maryland, man was arrested on a highway in West Virginia after a parole officer was found slain in the suspect's apartment, Montgomery County police say.
The agent, 33-year-old Davis Martinez, had gone Friday to check on Emanuel Edward Sewell, a registered sex offender who had been released from prison in 2021. But the officer didn't return to work after going to Sewell's apartment, police said.
That evening, Montgomery County officers went to Sewell's apartment in the 2800 block of Terrace Drive in Chevy Chase for a welfare check. Inside the apartment, they found the body of the missing parole agent. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Sewell, 54, was not in the apartment, prompting police to launch a manhunt for the suspect. Just over 24 hours after police found the body of the officer, authorities found Sewell on Interstate 64 near Hurricane, West Virginia, about a six-hour drive from his Chevy Chase, Maryland, apartment.
U.S. Marshals task force officers conducted a traffic stop and arrested Sewell on a warrant for second-degree murder.
'Our entire state grieves': Maryland governor says flag will be flown at half staff in honor of Officer Davis Martinez
Martinez was a six-year employee of the Maryland Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services and worked in the Silver Spring field office.
“Agent Martinez served with distinction and our state is safer because of him—our entire state grieves his loss along with those he held dear," Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement Saturday night. "I would like to thank our dedicated law enforcement community for their relentless and successful efforts in apprehending the suspect and for their unwavering pursuit of justice for Agent Martinez, his family, his friends and colleagues.”
According to Maryland’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Martinez had been Sewell’s parole officer for awhile, and Sewell had not posed a risk prior.
"He was alone in the home visit, and it is typical that they go alone on those visits," Maryland Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services Carolyn Scruggs said. "The suspect has done 25 out of 29 years, and he had mandatory release."
The medical examiner determined Martinez's manner of death was homicide, Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones said. While the cause is not yet known, Jones said Martinez suffered multiple injuries.
Martinez is the first Division of Parole and Probation agent allegedly killed by a client while on duty in the state, Moore's office said. The Maryland flag will be flown at half staff through Martinez's interment.
His death is a stark reminder of the dangers these agents face.
"These are the unsung heroes that you often do not hear about, but they are part of law enforcement and they do a great job," Scruggs said.
