Kevin McDarin Johnson, 51, was held without bond Saturday on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the death of his girlfriend, 48-year-old Detra Martin.
Martin was found unconscious and unresponsive on her bedroom floor in the 800 block of Southern Avenue in Southeast DC at about 11:00 p.m. Thursday. Police believe she was strangled. Her death was ruled a homicide on Friday.
Johnson was arrested in connection with the case Friday evening. According to charging documents, police believe that Johnson and Martin had been arguing about a loan Martin received from an old male friend.
According to the documents, a witness told police that the two were arguing before Martin was killed. The witness told police that on Tuesday Johnson told Hill that he loved her and if he could not have her no one would.
Two days later, the witness spoke to Martin on the phone at around 6:00 p.m. and returned to the apartment they shared at approximately 10:40 p.m.
The witness told police it eventually knocked on Martin’s bedroom door and received no response. The witness then tried calling Martin’s cell phone and opening Martin’s bedroom door, only to find it was locked.
Documents say that two others told police they saw Martin outside her home that day with Johnson.
Surveillance video from the grounds of the apartment complex shows Johnson entering the building alone around 8:12 p.m. and exiting nearly 90 minutes later carrying a large black bag, according to the documents. Charging documents state the footage then shows Johnson driving from the apartment complex in his purple conversion van.
A preliminary hearing for this case is scheduled for Mar. 5.
Charging documents have been added to this post below.
