A Maryland high school unknowingly admitted a student who was later revealed to be a member of the MS-13 gang and was involved in a murder investigation. The school administration was not informed of the student’s suspect status by the authorities.
An MS-13 gang member named Walter Martinez, who was a primary suspect in the murder of Kayla Hamilton in July 2022, reportedly enrolled and attended Edgewood High School in Harford County, Maryland, without the district being informed of his status in the case. This information comes from a report by Baltimore’s Fox 45.
“When I start from the very beginning and get to the very end, they’re like, ‘Wow, that is a really crazy story,’” Hamilton’s mother, Tammy Nobles, told Project Baltimore for the report. “And I say, ‘It is a crazy story. But it’s a true story.’ It’s the worst pain that a parent can ever get.”
“She was just found with a cord wrapped around her neck and her mouth. Then just left her on the floor, like trash,” Nobles added.
A native of Salvador who was in the U.S. illegally, Martinez was swiftly identified as the primary suspect and apprehended by the police. Surveillance video and an audio recording provided evidence of the gang member’s presence at the crime scene.
As per the report by Fox 45, Martinez was informed of his Miranda Rights and law enforcement authorities sent his DNA for testing, although the procedure lasted for six months. Meanwhile, he was granted permission to enroll at the school without any agency alerting administrators about the investigation.
After four months, Martinez relocated to the mobile home in Aberdeen, where he faced accusations of Hamilton’s murder.
Martinez was arrested in January 2023 after the DNA results were finally revealed. In August 2024, he was sentenced to 70 years in jail after pleading guilty to murder.
According to the report, Martinez was able to attend the school in Maryland before facing murder charges, and authorities were not obligated to inform the district about his situation. However, Nobles is of the opinion that they should have.
Source: Fox News on Yahoo!