Maryland registered sex offender suspected in death of parole officer arrested in West Virginia

CHEVY CHASE, Md. (AP) — A registered sex offender wanted in the death of a Maryland parole officer whose body was found in the man's apartment in Chevy Chase was arrested Saturday in West Virginia, authorities said.

Emanuel Edward Sewell is suspected in the killing of 33-year-old Davis Martinez, Montgomery County police said in a statement.

Sewell, 54, was traveling on Interstate 64 near Hurricane, West Virginia when officers with the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force conducted a traffic stop and arrested him, police said.

Martinez's body was discovered Friday after he went to conduct a check on Sewell, who was released from prison in 2021, they said.

It wasn't immediately known if Sewell had an attorney who could comment for him. Montgomery County police did not immediately respond to an email message from The Associated Press.

Officers went to Sewell's apartment after Martinez did not report back to work and found his body inside, according to police. Martinez suffered multiple undisclosed injuries, and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the police statement.

Martinez was a six-year employee of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Gov. Wes Moore ordered the Maryland flag to fly at half-staff until Martinez's burial.

"Agent Martinez served with distinction and our state is safer because of him," Moore said in a statement. "Our entire state grieves his loss along with those he held dear."

Sewell was not home when officers arrived. A warrant was issued on a second-degree murder charge for the arrest of Sewell, who was believed to have Martinez's badge, police said.

According to court records, Sewell was sentenced in Montgomery County in 1997 to 20 years in prison for a first-degree sex offense charge, 10 years for armed robbery and five years for burglary. Police said Sewell is a registered sex offender.