On an autumn night in Winthrop, Maine, the life of 30-year-old Joshua Martin, a Black male originally from Rochester, New York, was cut short. On October 3, 2020, Martin was fatally shot at a residence on Squire Court, a death that would quickly be ruled a homicide by the state's medical examiner. At the time, he had been staying in the Augusta area.
The events leading to his death were complex, stemming from a domestic dispute that spiraled into violence.
The investigation into Martin's death led to the arrests of two women on felony murder charges. Kiera Francis, 28, of the Bronx, New York, and Skylee Negron, 24, of Connecticut, were both implicated in the incident. However, the legal proceedings that followed revealed a more convoluted story. It was determined that neither Francis nor Negron fired the weapon that killed Martin. Court testimony indicated that an unidentified man was the one who shot Martin, though he has not been charged in the killing.
The night of the shooting, a heated argument had erupted between Martin and Francis, who had a previous romantic relationship. Witnesses stated that Martin had entered the mobile home through a window, leading to a prolonged dispute. Francis reportedly called for assistance, which brought Negron and the unnamed man to the residence. A struggle ensued over a gun that Francis was holding, during which she was shot in the leg. It was at this point that the man with Negron allegedly shot and killed Joshua Martin.
In November 2022, the felony murder charge against Kiera Francis was dismissed as part of a plea agreement. She pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. Her sentence was largely time-served. Similarly, in June 2023, Skylee Negron pleaded guilty to hindering apprehension. The felony murder charge against her was dropped. As of the latest reports, no one has been charged with the murder of Joshua Martin, and the man who allegedly fired the fatal shot remains publicly unidentified and uncharged. The case remains a painful and unresolved chapter for Martin's family and friends.
