Northwest Baltimore – Santos Martin-Stanfield pled guilty to the first-degree murder of his uncle, Andre Martin in April of 2018. Martin-Stanfield was sentenced to life with all but 40 years suspended followed by five years of probation.
On April 5, 2018, police responded to the 3400 block of Hilldale Place for a reported shooting. Upon arrival, police entered a home and located the body of Andre Martin–shot four times in the basement of his mother’s home. According to the victim’s mother, Martin lived in the basement.
On the night of the murder, Santos Martin-Stanfield came over to his grandmother’s house unexpectedly. The defendant’s grandmother granted Martin-Stanfield entrance to the house where the defendant and the victim went down into the basement. The grandmother was later awakened from her sleep by the sound of gunshots. When she ran downstairs and saw her son had been shot, she fled to a neighbor’s house to call the police.
As police were tending to the victim, they located the defendant hiding on the far side of the bed in the basement. He had been shot one time in the leg, an apparent self-inflicted wound. Further investigation revealed that the defendant shot his uncle four times and then shot himself to create the appearance of self-defense.
“While nothing can eradicate the loss and suffering this crime has caused, I am grateful that a man is being held accountable for the pain he’s inflicted upon his own family,” said State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
