DETROIT (WWJ) -- According to the Wayne County Prosecutor's office, Deangelo Kenneth Martin -- now known as the East Side Serial Killer -- has pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and two counts of sexual assault.
Martin's sentencing will be held on October 6th before Judge Regina Thomas. Each charge carries a potential sentence of 45 to 70 years in prison, to be served concurrently.
Martin was originally taken into custody in early June 2019, when he was a person of interest in a series of suspected serial killings that appeared to target sex workers.
Police believed Martin, who was 34 years old and homeless, lured women into abandoned houses on Detroit's east side, where he killed them.
The bodies were left positioned face down, with a used condom placed nearby. Two of the bodies had decomposed past the point of determining cause of death. The other two victims died from blunt force trauma.
After the first three bodies were discovered, 40 Detroit police officers were sent to search every vacant house on the east side for additional victims. Volunteer groups also took to the streets at night to ask locals, including sex workers, for any information they might have.
As information came in, DPD connected Martin to two sexual assault cases -- a 26-year-old woman who was sexually assaulted and stabbed and a 51-year-old woman who was kidnapped and assaulted. Both women survived.
Martin was charged with both attacks on June 10, 2019. He was held without bond.
In September 2019, Martin was officially charged with four murders in addition to the sexual misconduct charges.
The victims were:
57-year-old Anetta Nelson, found February 26, 2018, in the 11620 block of Winthrop
52-year-old Nancy Harrison, found March 19, 2019, in the 20070 block of Coventry
55-year-old Travesene Ellis, found on March 24, 2019, in the 13700 block of Linnhurst
55-year-old Tamara Jones, found June 5, 2019, in the 3690 block of Mack Avenue
Martin was referred for a competency exam in October 2019 to determine if he was fit to stand trial.
A preliminary examination to determine sufficient evidence was held in August 2020, and Martin was officially bound over for trial.
Martin was also thought to be involved in the murder of 64-year-old Deborah Reynolds, whose body was identified in October 2019 after being found in December 2018 in a home on Annin St., just off Woodward Ave.
Reynolds was reported missing by her family in August 2018. Ferndale Police had previously encountered her with Deangelo Martin on August 3, 2018.
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