State v Jaclyn Martin K10-3564Statement of Facts On Saturday May 22, 2010 members of the Baltimore County Police Departmentresponded to the front of 7006 Railway Avenue for a shooting. The body of Robert LeeMartin, also known as Lee Martin, was found lying in the front yard. His wallet waslying on the ground at his feet, money and a key ring with multiple keys were found inhis pocket and his cell phone was recovered. He was suffering from multiple gunshotwounds to the head and chest. He was transported to Bayview Hospital where he was pronounced dead.At the time of his murder, Lee Martin was married to the Defendant Jaclyn Martin. Theyhad been together for ten (10) years and married three (3) years before the murder. Atthe time of the marriage, Lee owned a home that was split into two locations by adividing wall. He and his family lived in one half of the house at 7006 Railway Avenue.The Schnitkers rented the other half of the house which was 7004 Railway Avenue and paid rent to Lee Martin. Lee owned several other rental properties on the same street.Several years ago he acquired the Hops Inn, a bar that was owned by his father located at7002 Railway Avenue, next door to the home where he lived with the Defendant. Alsoliving at the house a few nights a week were Lees’ two sons, Kyle (17) and Ryan (16),and the Defendant’s daughter Trinity (11).Police investigation revealed that Carla Santelli was tending bar at the Hops Inn Fridayevening May 21
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into the early morning hours of Saturday May 22
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. Lee Martin was atthe bar earlier on Friday and had gone home somewhere around 11:00 p.m. He returnedto the bar to close for the evening around 1:30 a.m. The bar closed at 2:00 a.m. and Leestayed to help clean up before he and Carla left for the night. Lee received a phone callfrom his wife, the Defendant Jaclyn Martin on his cell phone asking him when he would be home. He told her he was just finishing up and would be home soon. Lee Martinwalked Carla to her car. She drove away and saw Lee walk back inside Hops Inn.1
Video surveillance from inside the bar shows that Lee Martin left the bar at 2:20 a.m.Cell phone records confirm that Lee Martin received a call from his home phone at 2:16a.m.; the Defendant admits to making this call. Carla would testify that Lee seemed sadthat evening. As they were cleaning up they were talking about the Defendant, JaclynMartin, and her excessive drinking and Lee had commented that he was going to stopdrinking, noting that it must be hard for Jaclyn when he comes home smelling of alcohol.Carla knew the Defendant started drinking more. She would get drunk at the bar andannoy customers. Carla told Lee Martin and Lee banned Jaclyn from the bar a fewmonths before.Jennifer and Frank Perseghin were walking to their car when they heard gunshots andsaw two (2) men running from in front of the victim’s home at 7006 Railway Avenue.They saw Lee Martin lying on the lawn. They called 911 and the police arrived withinminutes.A large number of police vehicles, ambulances, and officers in uniform were dispatchedto the scene. A police helicopter was circling above the home and numerous neighborsgathered in front of the house. Lee Martin was already transported to the hospital whenthe Defendant opened the front door of the home and stepped outside, looked around andwalked back inside. Approximately one (1) minute later she walked back outside with a phone in her hand and the victim’s cell phone began to ring. Officers approach her andinformed her that her husband had been shot. She was taken to the hospital to be withher husband. Cell phone records confirm that the home phone was used to call thevictim’s cell phone at 3:00 a.m.Dr. Li performed an autopsy on Robert Lee Martin. He was shot eight (8) times in thehead, neck and chest. The bullets punctured his lung and major arteries in the chestcausing bleeding in his chest cavity and in the sac around his heart. The cause of deathwas multiple gunshot wounds to the head neck and chest; the manner of death wasHomicide.2
In the early morning hours of May 22, 2010, Kyle woke up between 1:30 and 2:00 a.m.The Defendant was in the doorway of his room crying. Kyle told police that in the lastfew years of his father’s marriage the defendant’s behavior became erratic. And she began drinking more. His dad had banned the defendant from the Hops Inn and hadaccused her of stealing money from the bar and had accused her of stealing his ATM carddays before the murder.M & T Bank records show that on May 20, 2010 Lee Martin had reported his ATM cardlost or stolen. He called the bank again the next morning on May 21, 2010 at 8:02 a.m. toreport that his card was used for unauthorized withdrawals in the amount of $987.00.The questioned transactions were:May 19, 2010 at 7:24 p.m. High’s at 7900 Wise Ave $202.50May 19, 2010 at 8:38 p.m. at M&T bank at 1115 Merritt Blvd $300.00May 20, 2010 at 12:25 a.m. Gold Trader on Clifton Ave $242.25May 20, 2010 at 1:01 a.m. Gold Trader on Clifton Ave $242.25On May 22, 2010 at 9:00 a.m., hours after the murder, the Defendant was taken toheadquarters to be interviewed about her husband’s murder. At the time, she was not asuspect. She told police that Lee left the house around 1:20 a.m. to close the bar. Shewoke up when he left then went back to sleep. She awoke at 2:00 a.m. and called Lee onhis cell phone to find out when he would be home. They spoke and he told her he would be home soon. She went back to sleep and woke up again when she heard the helicoptersoutside. Lee was not home so she went outside to see what was going on. She went back in the house to get the phone to call Lee again when she was told he was murdered. Shewas crying throughout the interview and told police she loved her husband and had noidea who would want to hurt him, but he did own a bar and people who were kicked outof the bar may have wanted to hurt him. When asked about his ATM card she advisedthat she last used the card one month before at the Mars store. She thought Lee haddropped it at the Home Depot. She does not know what happened to it; she does notremember the PIN number; she did not take the card and did not give it to anybody. She3