An Alpharetta man will spend the rest of his life in prison after admitting to a 2021 Norcross hotel shooting that left one man dead and a woman wounded. Demetrius Tyree Martin, 38, pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony murder and aggravated assault and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Jealous argument turns into hallway hunt
Prosecutors say the violence unfolded on May 8, 2021, at the Norcross Inn and Suites after Martin accused his girlfriend of flirting with another guest. According to a Gwinnett County news release, Martin left the hotel, then came back carrying what investigators described as “a pistol with an extended barrel and an extended ammunition cartridge.” He walked the upstairs hallway, knocking on several doors before stopping at Room 229.
Surveillance footage shows Martin firing 17 rounds into the room, killing 45-year-old Enrique Romero Sanchez and injuring a woman who was inside, as detailed by Gwinnett County.
Guilty plea and “senseless” killing
In Gwinnett County Superior Court on Tuesday, Martin pleaded guilty to felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault and accepted a life-without-parole sentence as part of a plea deal. District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson called the killing “senseless” and said her office would continue to hold violent offenders fully accountable. The plea deal caps a case prosecutors built heavily on hotel surveillance video and investigative work, as reported by Atlanta News First.
How investigators built the case
The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case with help from the Gwinnett County Police Department and the county medical examiner. Prosecutors say surveillance footage and other evidence were key to securing the conviction…