Murder of Maryland parole agent leads to calls for policy, leadership changes

CHEVY CHASE, Md. - The president of a workers’ union says changes in both policy and leadership are needed after a Maryland parole agent was killed on the job.

Patrick Moran, president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 3, said there are close to 700 parole agents across the state of Maryland. AFSCME represents about 45,000 people, Moran said.

"This is not a time to talk about hitting the reset button or ‘give us another chance’. People had a chance to make those changes," Moran said. "Now, there has to be accountability and there has to be action from the administration."

One of the hundreds of parole agents employed in Maryland includes 33-year-old Davis Martinez, who was killed Friday in Chevy Chase. 

Authorities in Montgomery County said Martinez was killed during a home visit at the apartment of 54-year-old Emanuel Sewell.

33-year-old Davis Martinez

Sewell had been mandatory released since 2021 after serving 25 years out of a 29-year sentence. He was convicted in 1996 for breaking into a man’s home, tying him up at knife-point, before he raped and robbed him, according to court documents obtained by FOX 5.

Details remain unclear as to exactly how Agent Martinez died last Friday, but authorities confirmed he sustained "multiple injuries," including blunt force trauma. His manner of death was classified as a homicide, according to Montgomery County police.

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Martinez had been with the department for six years. He is survived by his brother and mother, DPSCS said.

Moran said for at least a year, AFSCMEC has urged the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services’ leadership to send agents to home visits in pairs. 

The union has also suggested revamping training policies and reviewing what resources are necessary, Moran said.

"They were either dismissed by the secretary, Secretary Carolyn Scruggs. They were dismissed by Director Martha Danner, Assistant Director Walter Nolley on a consistent basis," he told FOX 5 Wednesday. "Their words, not mine. ‘We don’t have a problem. Why are we going to go down this road of making these changes?’ Their words, not mine, ‘We are not going to discuss these issues or these potential solutions you brought to the table’. That’s the lack of respect that management has shown the frontline staff that go out and put their livelihood at risk every single day."

A statement from Maryland DPSCS on Wednesday confirmed an internal review is underway related to the death of Agent Martinez. The review includes the department’s Intelligence and Investigative Division, along with the Warrant Apprehension Unit.

"In the meantime, similar to the model that the department employed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the department will pause in-home visits but will continue to conduct both virtual home visits and in-office visits until the internal review — including engagement with critical stakeholders — is complete," the statement read in part. "The department is committed to working in partnership with employees, leadership, and all of our stakeholder partners as we continue to evaluate and improve upon vacancies and professional policies and procedures."

Moran said the union has met with some members of Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s administration about their concerns.

"I’ve heard this word over and over again from people in the administration, ‘Oh, this is a partnership.’ No, a partnership is not a one-way street. If you’re not willing to sit down and try to achieve a common goal and come to a common conclusion, that’s not a partnership. That’s close to a dictatorship, I would say," he said, referring to DPSCS. "They have lost the right to use that power and control, because they lost one of their own employees they should have been looking out for."

Sewell was arrested in West Virginia on Saturday after a 24-hour manhunt and taken into custody by members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. 

As of this writing, authorities have not announced an extradition date.