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Luis E. Martinez, Investigator Community Outreach Division |
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This month, we highlight a distinguished member of our SAO family. We present our SAO Profile in Passion - Luis Martinez. |
| For Luis E. Martinez being able to help others and make a difference in people’s lives has been a calling since he was a small boy. “I always wanted to be a police officer. It was fun to see the sirens and it all was so intriguing. When you are out on the road, every day is different, and you have to think on your feet. Dealing with the public, you get to help people and make a difference in a variety of ways,” says Luis. |
| “Since first meeting Luis, I have always been impressed by his willingness to lend a hand,” said State attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. “Whenever a problematical situation arises, be it a victim needing help or an emergency setting needing intervention, Luis has always been one of the first to help. His commitment to serving others is the foundation for so much of what he has done throughout his adult life, as seen throughout his work within our community. That is certainly what makes him such a trusted and valued member of our State Attorney Office team.” |
| Born in Manhattan, Luis was the only child of parents who fled Cuba in the 1960s. At the age of five, his family moved from the Big Apple to Miami Beach where he grew up. “My parents owned a clothing store in Allapattah on NW 20 street. By age nine I was already working at and helping around the store after school and whenever needed. One of the things that I really enjoyed was dealing with the public,” he recalls. |
| After graduating from La Luz School on Flagler Street, Luis went on to attend Miami-Dade College where he received an Associates Degree in Business Administration. The plan had been to continue in the family business but then destiny and a twist of fate changed the course of his career and life. |
| “I have a nephew who is older than me and was an officer at the Miami Dade County Police Department (MDPD)”. I did ride along with him, and I knew that that was what I wanted to do. The spontaneity of the job, going from one place to another, and the many different concerns in different areas throughout our community were things that attracted me to law enforcement. You couldn’t change what happened to people but you could give them hope and help calm them down just by being personable and bringing some humanity to their situation.” |
| So, Luis told his parents that he was not continuing his degree in accounting but instead was going to attend the Miami Dade College North Police Academy. It was 1991 and Luis’ family was concerned about the danger of being an officer and his safety. But they eventually came around and fully supported him in his passion of being in law enforcement. He later went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Union University. |
| “I was sponsored by MDPD to go to the academy and nine months later I was a patrol officer for MDPD in the Midwest District which is now Doral,” he explains. “In 1995, I transitioned to Sweetwater Police Department when they made me a great offer to be a Community Officer.” |
| Luis later went to the Detective Bureau and eventually became their Commander. “I had four parttime detectives, and we investigated all types of cases. I remember two very difficult child abuse cases. One of them was a child who was targeted by his parents and would be locked up in the bathroom for 45 days at a time in horrific conditions without adequate food or water. That is when I really began working with the State Attorney’s Office (SAO) and especially with ASA Laura Adams. In 1998, I became the Commander of the Internal Affairs Bureau.” |
| It was working closely with SAO that led Luis to apply to the office in 2000 and he was hired as an investigator. Then in 2002, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle created the Community Outreach Division (COD) and recruited Luis to the unit. “It was an honor to be selected by her to work with the public. We covered the entire county and began the Justice In Motion program.” |
| “In 2008, the Doral Police Department made me a great offer. It was a new police department, but I had already covered that area when it was Midwest District under MDPD. At first, I was assigned to road patrol and then Neighborhood Resource Unit, which is like community outreach because you are a liaison with the public.” |
| But in 2022, Luis felt the yearning to return to the SAO. “I wanted to come back because of the mission of the office and what we do. I like the problem-solving and informing the community of how the SAO can help them. I applied and the State Attorney welcomed me back as an Investigator and Community Outreach Representative.” |
| “The work environment at SAO is wonderful and working with the State Attorney, KFR, is life changing. She is brilliant and committed to our community. I am always captivated by her, and I learn something new from her every day. It is amazing to me to see how she balances all the responsibilities of the entire office. She also has a great team around her. She knows how to identify the right people for the right positions, for example, her Chief Assistants. We are a diverse area of the country, and we have to provide services for all and meet their diverse needs. It is our responsibility, and we do the very best we can.” |
| Luis has successfully reincorporated into the Best Team in America. As part of his duties, he was selected to be part of the State Attorney’s security detail. As part of COD, he has presented various topics to community groups regarding how to protect themselves from fraud, election integrity, and elder exploitation. He has also been a part of the Second Chance Sealing and Expungement program. Luis has also been the point person for the Women of Tomorrow field trips to the SAO. |
| Two important groups for Luis are the young and the elderly. He has gone above and beyond in helping our Elder and Vulnerable Adult victims. In a few situations, he has reached out to a former police academy colleague who now owns the Good Greek Movers to assist with moving the victim’s belongings from a deplorable situation to a safe situation. “I was very touched that he chose to help our victim at no cost.” |
| Aside from his daily responsibilities at SAO, Luis’ passion for helping children is expressed through his work with “Disney on Wheels”. “I became a part of this program when I was with Doral PD. It started in 2015 and has an investor who is the owner of NHT Ambulances as well as other businesses. |
| He is the major donor and there is fundraising throughout the year for the program. We take medically fragile children on a weekend trip to Disney World. It is no small feat as there are a myriad of details relating to their physical and emotional well-being that need to be taken into consideration. We also have to plan 24/7 availability of medical attention. Many of the children cannot walk and are wheelchair-bound. They have a variety of issues like severe autism, cerebral palsy, birth defects, etc. Some of them have feeding tubes or respirators.” These are children who could not qualify for other organizations and at the same time would never be able to safely or afford such a trip. |
| This year “Disney on Wheels” took 50 children and 200 volunteers. Luis and his wife lead a group of 10. “Each child has their guardian accompany them plus we have helpers, paramedics, nurses, etc…. We go up in a caravan of vehicles. This year we had four buses, 10 ambulances, and a police escort. The charity pays for travel, transportation, hotel, food, planning, rides, and entrance to the theme park.” |
| The Friday through Sunday trip is meticulously planned to meet the medical and physical needs of children and their guardians. They have opportunities to meet and take pictures with the characters and ride certain rides at Disney. The Children also receive gifts, hats, fans, and water bottles provided by the charity. |
| Luis loves being a part of “Disney on Wheels” because of what they can provide for medically fragile children and their families. “We give to them but in reality, they give much more to us. When you see what these children and guardians go through every day, you appreciate what you have even more.” |
| Not only will Luis continue to make a difference in the community through his personal charitable work but also through his role as a proud member of the SAO family. “I enjoy having face-to-face contact with the public and meeting the dynamic of the community as we make a difference in their lives. We are public servants, and we serve the public. It is truly an honor.” |
| Congratulations to Sexual Battery Unit (SBU) ASAs Bronwyn Nayci and Lily Wisset for securing a guilty verdict of one count of Sexual Activity with a Child by a Person in Familial or Custodial Authority, three counts of Lewd and Lascivious Molestation on a Child 12-16 Years of Age, and two counts of Lewd and Lascivious Conduct on a Child Under 16. |
| The Victim’s mother had been dating the Defendant for about a year. On the evening of July 16, 2020, the Defendant went into the Victim’s bedroom so she could help him learn English. After talking with the Victim for a short time, the Defendant told her to go to sleep. The Victim laid down in her bed and pretended to go to sleep hoping he would leave her bedroom. Instead, the Defendant got up, closed, and locked the Victim’s bedroom door, and asked if she was asleep. The Victim, frozen in fear, did not respond. Then, the Defendant touched the Victim, kissed her, and touched her private areas inappropriately. The Defendant told the Victim, “I’ll protect you and love you forever.” After the Defendant left, the Victim immediately told her mother that the Defendant had touched her, and the police were called. The Victim was examined hours later by the Child Protection Team who later found the Defendant’s DNA. |
| At trial, the defense focused on attacking the reliability of the DNA testing and the interview techniques used by the forensic interviewer. However, the jury was convinced of the Defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. |
| The ASAs would like to thank SBU ASAs Jared Lorenz, Marie Koth; Guardian Ad Litem Katrina Valentine for her support of the Victim and her mother during the trial; William Rodriguez, our English-Spanish translator, for assisting with trial preparations with the Victim’s mother; the Litigation Support Team for their help during the trial with exhibits, audio extractions, and the ELMO. |
| The ASAs would also like to thank SBU Victim/Witness Coordinator Nancy Germeille for supporting the Victim, and for her assistance in coordinating our witnesses. A special thank you to SBU secretaries Charlotte Haslem and Valerie Ford for assisting with trial preparations. |
| Congratulations to Sexual Battery Unit (SBU) ASA Jared H. Lorenz and ASA Gabriella Marki for securing a guilty verdict of one count of Attempted Sexual Battery on a Minor Under 12, one count of Lewd and Lascivious Exhibition on a Child Under 16, and one count of Lewd and Lascivious Conduct on a Child Under 16. |
| In the early morning of December 20, 2019, the Victim woke up to use the restroom at around 3:30 or 4 a.m. The Victim noticed the Defendant lurking in her doorway, so she pretended to be asleep. The Victim watched the Defendant walk down the hall to another room before immediately returning to enter her bedroom and closing the door behind him. He asked the Victim if she had ever “done it before.” Startled, she said, “No.” He asked, “What would you do if I dated you.” The Victim responded, “I would not be dating you.” He then told her that he wanted to have sex with her. The Victim demanded that he get out of her room. |
| Instead, he sat down on her bed and began to caress her knee as he told her about how he was abused at a young age and how he wanted to do it to someone else. “You are perfect to do it with,” he told her. When she continued to say to him “No” and to leave her room, he began to threaten her. The Defendant stood up, exposed himself, and fondled himself in front of the Victim. The Victim quickly turned her head to look away and began to scream as loud as she could for help. The Defendant then put both of his hands over the Victim’s mouth, trying to keep her quiet. When the Victim struggled and continued to scream, her parents rushed to her room and found the Defendant standing outside of her door. The Victim’s father yelled, “What are you doing in my daughter’s room?” The Defendant responded, “I did something bad. I understand if you want to hurt me.” He then fled, leaving his sandals in the Victim’s bedroom. |
| The Defendant chose to testify at trial. He testified that he had been drinking all day with the Victim’s father. He said that at some point during the night, the Victim’s father went upstairs to bed. The Defendant testified that he heard an argument upstairs between the Victim’s parents and went upstairs to check to see if everything was okay. However, he admitted that he did not attempt to knock on the door or see if they were okay. Instead, he said he went into the other bedrooms to see if anyone was awake to “talk.” The Defendant exited the other rooms before observing the Victim walking back into her room. He entered, took off his sandals, and sat on her bed. He testified that the purpose of going into her bedroom was to express his concern. He said he had heard something concerning a relative who may have been molested by another relative and wanted to talk to the Victim about it. The Defendant admitted to putting his hand on her mouth but only to calm her down. He said that he told her that he was not there to hurt her. |
| After approximately two hours of deliberation, the jury found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on all three counts. |
| The Judge accepted the State’s recommendation and sentenced the defendant to 20 years in state prison followed by 10 years of Sex Offender Probation. |
| The ASAs would like to thank Sexual Battery Unit (SBU) Assistant State Attorneys Bronwyn Nayci, Marie Koth, Lily Wisset for their support during trial; SBU Victim/Witness Coordinator Nancy Germeille for supporting the victim and coordinating witness travel; SBU secretaries Charlotte Haslem and Valerie Ford for assisting with trial preparations; and Forensic Interviewer Meranda Perlant. |
| Additionally, the ASAs would like to thank the Chief of Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Unit Lindsay Davis for her help in preparing the case for trial, ASAs Carolina Sanchez, Conor Soper, and Natalie Mendez for their assistance before and during the trial. |
| Congratulations to DC Alex Bergida and ASA Julianne Ruiz-Necuze, who were successful in securing a guilty verdict of 2nd Degree Murder. |
| The Defendant was harassing his ex-girlfriend while she was out celebrating her birthday. Enraged that she was not answering his calls or text messages, he traveled from Hialeah Gardens to Perrine by bicycle. The Defendant waited until the Victim left her home, and shot her in the head, killing her. No DNA nor fingerprints were recovered on the scene; however, the Defendant’s cell sites placed him in the area when the murder occurred. |
| Over a year later, the Defendant was brought into the police department and eventually confessed to the murder. |
| The ASAs would like to thank, Trial Coordinator Jackie Sanchez and Homicide Counselors Idalma Gurruchaga and Kelly Usher-Villazan, for their dedication and assistance throughout the case |
