CHEVY CHASE, Md. (WJLA) — A man wanted in the death of a Maryland parole officer was arrested in West Virginia Saturday evening, police said.
On Friday, Montgomery County Police Department officers responded to a home in Chevy Chase around 5:45 p.m. to conduct a welfare check on a parole officer who had not reported back to work while on duty.
Police said that, at the time, 33-year-old Davis Martinez was conducting a resident check of 54-year-old Emanuel Edward Sewell, who is a registered sex offender and had been released from prison in 2021. But Martinez never returned to work.
When MCPD arrived, officers found Martinez's state-issued vehicle parked outside the apartment building. Inside the residence, Martinez's body was found, police said. Sewell was not at the apartment. He left the home and took Martinez's police badge with him, police said.
The Medical Examiner found that Martinez suffered multiple injuries, including blunt force trauma, and ruled the case as a homicide, Chief Marcus Jones said during a news conference on Saturday.
As his parole agent, Martinez had visited Sewell's home many times, according to Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
This individual had not shown to pose a risk prior," said Scruggs. "We are doing a complete risk assessment right now to determine whether there were any hiccups, any challenges, any concerns, and then we will have be happy to share the full result of that investigation once it’s completed."On Saturday evening around 5 p.m., the U.S. Marshals Task Force found Sewell traveling on I-64 near Hurricane, West Virginia, according to MCPD.
Officers conducted a traffic stop and took Sewell into custody.
Gov. Wes Moore's office released a statement following the arrest:
"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. 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."
Sewell now faces second-degree murder charges. He will be extradited to Montgomery County, according to MCPD.
"We’ve had many conversations about our agent, and things like professional, diligent, resilient are what we hear about agent Martinez," said Scruggs. "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 every day."
Per the governor’s order, the Maryland flag will continue to fly at half-staff until Martinez is laid to rest. The U.S. flag will also be lowered to half-staff on the day of interment.
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