CHEVY CHASE, Md. — The registered sex offender accused of killing a Maryland probation agent in Chevy Chase last month was back in court on Monday. Emanuel Sewell, 54, waived his right to a bond hearing after state prosecutors detailed the severity of the alleged attack on 33-year old Davis Martinez.
One of the prosecutors said after the results of an autopsy, the state plans to pursue first-degree murder charges. Sewell is currently being held on second-degree murder charges.
Charging documents are offering chilling details about what happened.
Officers were called to do a welfare check on Martinez after he did not return to work after performing a check on Sewell at his Chevy Chase home. The documents say when officers arrived at the home, the blinds were drawn and doors were locked. No one responded when the officers attempted to get in touch with Sewell.
According to the documents, investigators pinged Martinez's cell phone and it came back as being in the dumpsters nearby. A search around the dumpsters came up empty.
Officers forced their way inside Sewell's home and found the body of a man believed to be Martinez "wrapped in multiple plastic bags underneath a bed," the documents say. The body was found in a fetal position and a bloody towel was found near the door. He was pronounced dead at the home. His cause of death is still under investigation. Martinez's car, a white Ford Taurus, was parked outside the home.
Sewell's car was missing, and he was nowhere to be found.
Investigators spoke to a witness who told them she heard a loud knock on Sewell's door around 9 a.m. When she looked outside, she noticed the Taurus parked there. Then, around 2 p.m., the witness told officers she saw Sewell walk out of the home toward the dumpsters, where Martinez's phone was believed to be. A short time later, the witness said Sewell brought out two clear trash bags filled with clothes, got into his car and left.
About 24 hours later, Sewell was reportedly taken into custody by US Marshalls Task Force after a traffic stop near Hurricane, West Virginia. He was extradited back to Montgomery County, where he has been charged with second-degree murder.
He is scheduled to appear before a grand jury on July 5, where they will announce if those charges have been upgraded from second-degree to first-degree murder.
Meanwhile, Martinez is being remembered as a hero, beloved by his family. An online fundraiser for the Martinez family has raised more than $30,000.
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