A Maryland parole agent was found dead Friday after visiting the house of a registered sex, and that man has been apprehended in connection with his killing.
Davis Martinez, a Maryland Division of Parole and Probation agent, was found by police shortly before 6 p.m. when officers were conducting a welfare check on the agent, who had been checking on Edward Sewell, a 54-year-old registered sex offender in Chevy Chase, according to a Montgomery County police news release. Martinez had suffered multiple injuries, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Sewell was not at his home when police arrived, and investigators had believed he had taken Martinez's badge. Following a manhunt, Sewell was captured about 24 hours later by a U.S. Marshal's task force during a traffic stop near Hurricane, W.Va.
Sewell was arrested and charged with second degree murder.
Martinez had been with the Maryland Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services for six years. He's the first member of the agency to be killed on duty by a parolee, WUSA-TV reports.
"The death of agent Martinez is a stark reminder of the dangers we face every day," said Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones.
Gov. Wes Moore has ordered flags to be flown at half staff through the day of Martinez's interment.
“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," Moore said in a statement. " 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.”
