A known MS-13 gang member who was in the U.S. illegally was allowed to attend a public high school in Maryland despite already being the prime suspect in the rape and murder of an autistic woman, according to a report on the killer who is currently serving a 70-year prison sentence.
Walter Martinez was 16 when he was able to attend classes at Edgewood High School in Harford County for several months in late 2022 while police investigated the gruesome death of 20-year-old Kayla Hamilton, Fox45 reported.
The gang member, who had entered the United States illegally from El Salvador just months before the murder, was identified as the main perpetrator immediately after the discovery of Hamilton’s raped, strangled and bound body on July 27, 2022, according to authorities.
But even though surveillance video shows Martinez was at the crime scene, it took six months to process the DNA evidence needed to charge him.
In the meantime, the known gang member was allowed to enroll in the local school without law enforcement informing the Harford County School District of the ongoing investigation.
Under Maryland state law, authorities – including immigration officials – were not required to inform the administration of his status as a suspect because no charges had yet been filed against the teenager.
“It makes me angry,” the victim’s mother, Tammy Nobles, told the outlet. “You sit there and send this monster to high school with other people’s kids, and you’re putting children in danger. Look what he did to Kayla.”
“Why did you send him to a public school? I want to know why,” she continued. “Someone has to be held accountable.”
A school district spokesperson confirmed that Martinez was enrolled in high school in October 2022, but was not informed of the potential dangers.
“We have no information to suggest that he poses a threat to other students and staff,” the spokesman said in a statement.
“HCPS does not have unrestricted access to law enforcement information that might indicate that a potential student is dangerous, a member of a gang, or suspected of heinous and disturbing crimes.”
Details of Martinez’s enrollment at the school only came to light this week after the gang member pleaded guilty to Hamilton’s murder last month.
Martinez was eventually sentenced to 70 years in prison.
“We need to change the laws,” Nobles said, referring to the details surrounding Martinez’s enrollment. “If you are a suspect, the prime suspect in a crime, you should not be allowed to go to school with other children. They have virtual school and computers.”
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s gruesome murder has repeatedly made headlines in recent years – especially after her killer’s immigration status and his ties to the notorious MS-13 gang came to light.
Her mother has filed lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services for allowing the illegal immigrant to enter the country in the first place.
Nobles has also testified before Congress on the Biden administration’s immigration policies and was among those attending this year’s State of the Union address.
