A known MS-13 gang member who was in the US illegally was allowed to enroll at a Maryland public high school even when he was already the main suspect in the rape and murder of a woman with autism, according to a report about the killer now serving a 70-year sentence.
Walter Martinez was 16 when he was able to attend classes at Edgewood High School in Harford County for several months in late 2022 as cops probed the gruesome death of 20-year-old Kayla Hamilton, Fox45 reported.
The gang banger — who had entered the US illegally from El Salvador just months before the slaying — had been identified as the main perp immediately after Hamilton’s body was discovered raped, strangled and bound inside her trailer on July 27, 2022, according to authorities.
But even though surveillance video put Martinez at the scene of the crime, the DNA evidence needed to eventually charge him took six months to be processed.
In the meantime, the known gang banger was allowed to enroll at the local school without law enforcement agencies warning the Harford County Public Schools District about the ongoing investigation.
Under Maryland law, authorities — including immigration officials — weren’t required to inform administrators of his suspect status because the teen hadn’t yet been charged.
“It makes me angry,” the victim’s mom, Tammy Nobles, told the outlet. “You’re sitting there putting this monster into high school with other people’s children, and you’re putting children at risk. Look what he did to Kayla.”
“Why did you put him in a public school? I want to know why,” she continued. “Somebody needs to be held accountable.”
A school district spokesperson confirmed Martinez had enrolled at the high school in October 2022 but they weren’t informed of the potential dangers.
“There was no information in our possession that would suggest he was a danger to other students and staff,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“HCPS is not afforded unfettered access to information held by law enforcement which may suggest that a potential student is dangerous, gang-affiliated, or suspected of heinous and disturbing crimes.”
The details regarding Martinez’s enrollment at the school only surfaced this week after the gang member pleaded guilty last month over Hamilton’s murder.
Martinez ended up being sentenced to 70 years in prison.
“We need to change the laws,” Nobles said, referring to the details surrounding Martinez’s school enrollment. “If you’re a suspect, the main suspect of a felony, you should not be able to attend school with other children. They have virtual school and computers.”
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s gruesome murder has repeatedly made headlines in recent years — particularly after her killer’s immigration status and ties to the notorious MS-13 gang emerged.
Her mom has filed lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services for allowing the illegal immigrant to enter the country in the first place.
Nobles, too, has testified before Congress about the Biden administration’s immigration policies and was among those who attended this year’s State of the Union address.