Enrique Martinez is seen here, escorted by deputies. He is suspected in the murder of Sierra Hernandez (inset). (Images: Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities announced that they arrested the man implicated in two separate murders after Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd in Florida said that law enforcement found Enrique Martinez, 26, “casually walking down the sidewalk.”
Documents indicated that the suspect fled but later surrendered after briefly fleeing into a fenced-in, wooded area.
The defendant shot and killed Edil Rodriguez Jr., 33, at a homeless camp on Nov. 8, 2023, law enforcement said in an affidavit obtained by Law&Crime. Then, he allegedly played a role in murdering Sierra Hernandez, 20, who was reported missing on Jan. 14, 2024. Polk County sheriff’s spokesman Brian Bruchey told Law&Crime on Thursday morning that they do not yet have an affidavit against Martinez in the young woman’s disappearance and death because it remains under investigation.
However, Daphne Fernandez, 44, was arrested as an accessory after the fact for the offense of first-degree murder in connection with Hernandez’s death, documents show. Deputies said they found her driving Hernandez’s car on Jan. 15, and she claimed the missing young woman had been staying at her home and then left on Jan. 12 with a man named “Richard.”