On a tragic day in March of 2015, the life of 25-year-old Walesha Georgelyn Williams, a female resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was brutally cut short. In the early morning hours of March 3rd, a violent encounter in a home on Duane Road in New Orleans East also claimed the life of her 8-year-old daughter. A third woman, a friend of the family, was also shot but survived by pretending to be deceased.
The investigation swiftly pointed to Walesha's 25-year-old boyfriend, Dwayne Martin,
as the primary suspect. According to the surviving witness, after the shooting, the assailant took Williams' purse and phone before fleeing the scene. The survivor then managed to seek help from a neighbor, identifying Martin as the perpetrator before she collapsed. The motive for this devastating act of violence is believed to be rooted in domestic conflict.
Following the issuance of an arrest warrant, a manhunt for Dwayne Martin ensued. He was apprehended a few days later in Milton, Florida. His capture was not without incident; he was taken into custody after a brief foot chase that led authorities into a wooded area. At the time of his arrest, Martin was facing charges of burglary and resisting an officer in Florida. He was held on a significant bond as authorities in New Orleans prepared for his extradition.
Dwayne Martin was to be returned to New Orleans to face two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Walesha Williams and her young daughter, as well as one count of attempted second-degree murder for the shooting of the family friend who survived the attack.
