MS-13 Member With Prior Murders Sentenced For Strangling Autistic Woman To Death

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — A 19-year-old from El Salvador has pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of an autistic 20-year-old woman who also showed evidence of being raped during the killing, court documents showed. Walter Javier Martinez also admitted to raping two women, killing four people and other crimes while incarcerated. He is a member of the gang MS-13.

On July 27, 2022, the boyfriend of the 20-year-old woman found her unconscious on the floor of her bedroom, bound at the wrists and with a phone charging cord wrapped tightly around her neck and mouth. She was declared dead on the scene and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the victim’s death a homicide by strangulation, court documents showed.

An investigation showed that the victim's boyfriend and other family members living in the same home were at work, but the victim and Martinez, who was 16 at the time, were alone. He had been living there for only five days. Police found the woman's purse and belongings scattered around the room and it was determined that money had been removed from her wallet and her cell phone was missing. The victim’s boyfriend said that on his way home, just before discovering the victim’s body, he saw Martinez walking down the street away from the home. A cellular device ping of the victim’s phone later put the device in the general location where Martinez was seen that day.

The victim, who had high functioning autism, would often call her boyfriend when someone would knock on the door of their bedroom. During the incident, the victim called her boyfriend and the murder was recorded on the boyfriend’s voicemail and played in court. Martinez could be heard apologizing to the victim at the end of the recording, the prosecution shared.

DNA swabs were taken from the victim’s body to include anal swabs. Her underwear and shorts were analyzed for the presence of DNA and compared against a known sample from Martinez. The DNA profile was consistent with the DNA of Martinez.

While in prison, Martinez wrote a letter admitting to committing four other murders, two rapes and additional crimes. Martinez said he illegally entered the U.S. four months before committing the murder. There also is an active immigrations and customs enforcement detainer that would take effect upon his release from prison. The judge sentenced Martinez to life in prison suspend all but 70 years with a period of five years of supervised probation upon release.

“This murder was one of the most brutal and heinous crimes I have ever prosecuted. No one deserves to suffer and die at the hands of a monster like this victim did. Additionally, this defendant, residing in our country illegally, had no legal right to be here, preying on the members of our communities and perpetuating the same violent gang activity that he did in his own country. I commend the victim’s family for their bravery ... in delivering their statements to the court and facing this murderer. I recognize that no amount of time will ever be enough to take away the pain and suffering that this family has experienced as a result of Walter Martinez’s horrific and criminal conduct, nor will any sentence bring this victim back to them," said State’s Attorney Alison Healey after the sentencing.