Detroit man, 35, accused in 4 slayings bound over for trial

Darcie Moran
Detroit Free Press
Deangelo Martin

A man who police called a serial killer last year has been bound over for trial in the deaths of four Detroit women.

Deangelo Martin, 35, of Detroit had his four murder cases bound over to Wayne County’s Third Circuit Court on Thursday following a preliminary examination.

Martin is accused in the deaths of Annetta Nelson, 57, Nancy Harrison, 52, Trevesene Ellis, 55, and Tamara Jones, also 55.

The women were all found dead in vacant houses with used condoms nearby.

Officials say Nelson and Harrison suffered blunt force trauma; the cause of death for Ellis and Jones could not be determined due to the level of decomposition.

Nelson was found in February 2018 in a house in the 11620 block of Winthrop Street. Harrison was found in March 2019 in a house in the 20070 block of Coventry Street and Ellis was found the same month in a house in the 13700 block of Linnhurst Street. Jones was found in June 2019 in a house in the 3690 block of Mack Avenue.

Martin now faces charges of first-degree premeditated murder in each case, along with a charge in each for felony murder, based on the accusation the killings occurred during a committed or attempted sexual assault.

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Martin also faces two sexual assault cases, one in which he’s charged with kidnapping and another in which he’s charged with assault with intent to murder. He was bound over to circuit court in those cases in previous weeks.

Rumors of a serial killer in the city started circulating in May 2019, but police denied claims.

Later, the deaths sparked a door-to-door search for victims in abandoned homes.

In October, the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed a woman found the prior December was 64-year-old Deborah Reynolds, who was last seen with Martin.

Prosecutor Kym Worthy, in a news release, reaffirmed her faith in the current cases.

“The details will be presented in court, and we will continue to pursue any and all evidence that may connect him to further crimes,” she said.

Martin remains held without bond. He’s due back in court in the murder cases on Aug. 20.

Contact Darcie Moran at dmoran@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @darciegmoran