Deangelo Kenneth Martin

Serial Killer

DeAngelo Kenneth Martin: The Detroit Serial Killer

Overview

DeAngelo Kenneth Martin is an American serial killer and sexual predator who murdered four women in Detroit, Michigan, between February 2018 and June 2019. His victims were found inside vacant or abandoned houses, often in severely neglected neighborhoods where empty buildings provided concealment and made it less likely that suspicious activity would immediately attract attention. Martin also sexually assaulted at least two women who survived, and evidence connected him to sexual attacks dating back many years. The murders created widespread fear in Detroit because the victims were discovered under strikingly similar circumstances. Several women had been left face down, partially clothed or unclothed, inside abandoned residences. Used condoms were recovered near the bodies, providing investigators with biological evidence. Authorities eventually concluded that the same offender was responsible for the killings and described Martin as a serial murderer and rapist who deliberately targeted vulnerable women.

The Victims

• Annetta Nelson, 57 February 26, 2018 11620 block of Winthrop Street, Detroit: Nelson was found inside a vacant house on Detroit's west side. A man who entered the building discovered her lying face down with blood on her face, carried her outside and flagged down police officers. The Wayne County Medical Examiner determined that she had been killed by blunt-force trauma. Investigators also reported evidence that she had been strangled. A used condom recovered inside the house later became an important part of the investigation. February 26 is the confirmed date on which Nelson was discovered dead; publicly available records do not establish a more precise time of death.
• Nancy Harrison, 52 March 19, 2019 20070 block of Coventry Street, Detroit: Harrison's body was discovered inside a vacant house by a man who had entered the building. Police found her positioned face down, with a used condom located near her body. The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide caused by blunt-force trauma. Investigators determined that she had been sexually assaulted and killed. March 19 is the confirmed discovery date and the date associated with her homicide in official case records.
• Trevesene Ellis, also identified in records as Trevesene Willis, 55 March 24, 2019 13700 block of Linnhurst Street, Detroit: Ellis was found face down inside another vacant residence, with a used condom near her body. Her remains were badly decomposed, preventing the medical examiner from establishing an exact cause, manner or time of death. Some early news reports incorrectly listed May 24 as the discovery date, but charging documents and the Wayne County Prosecutor's account identify March 24, 2019, as the date police discovered her body. Because of the decomposition, her precise date of death could not be medically determined.
• Tamara M. Jones, 55 June 5, 2019 3690 block of Mack Avenue, Detroit: Jones was discovered inside a vacant house after a man alerted two nearby police officers. Her decomposed body was positioned face down, and another used condom was found near her. Decomposition prevented the medical examiner from determining an exact cause, manner or date of death. June 5 is the confirmed date on which she was found. DNA evidence later connected Martin to the scene.

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Confirmed Victims: (4)

Annetta Nelson Age: (57), Date of Death: 2018-02-26

Deangelo Martin - Wikipedia