DETROIT – The suspect in two criminal sexual conduct cases and a Detroit serial killer case has been charged with eight counts of murder in connection with the deaths of four women who were found facedown in vacant Detroit houses, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced.
Deangelo Martin, 34, of Detroit, was charged Wednesday with four counts of premeditated murder and four counts of felony murder in connection with the deaths of Annetta Nelson, Nancy Harrison, Trevesene Ellis and Tamara Jones.
"In cases like this, when it's literally striking fear into people who live in these areas, we want to make sure we work as quickly as we can, but we also have to be as detailed as we can," Worthy said. "We have to be able to go into court and present a case that's going to stick, go into court and present a case with all of the evidence."
Worthy didn't elaborate about the details.
Annetta Nelson murder
Nelson, 57, of Detroit, was found around 4:25 p.m. on Feb. 26, 2018, in a vacant house in the 11620 block of Winthrop Street on Detroit's west side.
Prosecutors said a 43-year-old man went into the house and discovered Nelson's body facedown on the floor with blood on her face.
The man carried Nelson's body outside and flagged down police, according to authorities.
Officers said they found a used condom inside the house.
Nelson's death was determined to be a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.
Martin is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder based on the underlying felony of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with Nelson's death.
Nancy Harrison murder
Harrison, 52, of Detroit, was found March 19, 2019, in a vacant house in the 20070 block of Coventry Street on Detroit's west side.
A Detroit man went into the house to smoke marijuana and found Harrison's body, according to authorities.
Officers found her body positioned facedown, police said. There was a used condom near her body, officials said.
Harrison's death was determined to be a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.
Martin is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder based on the underlying felony of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with Harrison's death.
Trevesene Ellis murder
Ellis, 55, of Detroit, was found around 7:20 p.m. on March 24 in a vacant house in the 13700 block of Linnhurst Street on Detroit's east side.
Officers were called to the house on reports of a dead person. They found Ellis face down with a used condom next to her body, according to authorities.
The cause and manner of Ellis' death were undetermined by medical examiners due to the advanced decomposition of her body, officials said.
Martin is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder based on the underlying felony of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with Ellis' death.
Tamara Jones murder
Jones, 55, of Detroit, was found around 5:10 a.m. on June 5 in a vacant house in the 3690 block of Mack Avenue in Detroit's McDougall-Hunt neighborhood.
Two Detroit police officers were flagged down by a 59-year-old Detroit man who found Jones' decomposed body inside the house, officials said.
Officers said Jones was facedown with a used condom near her body.
The cause and manner of Jones' death were undetermined by medical examiners due to the advanced decomposition of her body, officials said.
Martin is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder based on the underlying felony of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with Jones' death.
Sexual assault cases
Martin is also heading to trial on four counts of sexual assault and assault with intent to murder.
A woman believed to have escaped from Martin took the stand and told the court she was grabbed by Martin while walking along Gratiot Avenue near Mack Avenue.
She said Martin pulled her into a house, where she fought to stay alive.
Another woman said Martin choked her until she blacked out and she woke up in an abandoned house on Mack Avenue. She said Martin never released the tight grip on her neck while he tried to rape her.
The woman told the court she managed to free herself with a pocket knife and left through a second-floor window.
A judge ruled there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial.
What's next
Martin was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in 36th District Court. He is being held at the Wayne County Jail without bond. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf.
A probable cause conference on all four cases is scheduled for Oct. 2, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for Oct. 9.
He's expected to appear in 3rd Circuit Court on Friday in connection with the two criminal sexual conduct cases.
You can watch Worthy's full announcement here: