After Maryland parole agent's death, family and union push for change
The family of a Maryland parole agent killed during a home visit continues to fight for justice and accountability.
Agent Davis Martinez, 33, was found in a Chevy Chase apartment on May 31, 2024 after a home visit for 54-year-old Emanuel Sewell.
Martinez suffered multiple stab wounds, including in areas like his lungs and head, prosecutors revealed in a June court hearing.
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.
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Martinez’s girlfriend Gypsy Barrientos said the two had only been dating for about four months at the time of his death, but she has formed a close relationship with his family.
"It seems really surreal. I mean, the murder itself. I feel like I’m in a different body. I feel like this is not my life and this is not my body sometimes, because it’s so surreal," Barrientos said Friday. "What I’m starting to realize is that we’re not the only ones who lost someone in the line of duty, whether that’s another police officer, corrections officer, firefighter."
Agent Davis Martinez with his girlfriend Gypsy Barrientos.
Barrientos said there have been questions raised by herself and Martinez’s family amid hearings related to the investigation into his death.
"It kind of makes me question from my professional experience, what lessons are we not learning here? Who is not being invited to the table to have these discussions?" she explained. "I think, especially, the question of why it took so long for police to be called is what irks us the most."
For years, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) has called for agents to perform home visits in pairs.
The union represents about 45,000 employees and is the lead advocacy group behind HB 176 and SB 26, which have filed in the Maryland Legislature.
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Named after Martinez, the proposal would direct Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) to develop a Workplace Violence Prevention Standard for the public sector.
Denise Gilmore, a legislative and political director for AFSCME MD Council 3, said the bill holds public employers accountable for their employees’ safety.
"We understand it is a difficult budget year, and we’re asking for resources to keep public employees safe," Gilmore said. "Public sector jobs do tend to be dangerous by their nature. I think all our members want is for their bosses to have the plans, have the resources in place before some of these incidents happen."
Barrientos said if Sewell is ultimately found guilty, any amount of time served would not be enough. For her, justice is about accountability and transparency from the state.
"If that ever happens to me, an employee dies under my watch, I would be able to face the family and be as open and as honest as possible," she said.
FOX 5 reached out to the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. The agency does not comment on bills it did not draft.
A rally and vigil honoring Agent Martinez is planned for Monday, Jan. 13 in front of the state house.
Sewell is due back in court on January 16. His attorneys did not return our request for comment.