UPDATE: Police said Thursday they have arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Greenacres woman.
Wendy Martinez, 35, was jogging Sept. 18 in Washington, D.C. when a man came up and stabbed her multiple times.
Police arrested Anthony Crawford, 23, in connection with the stabbing and have charged him with first-degree murder while armed.
Crawford was taken into custody late Wednesday evening by the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C.
BREAKING: Metro police arrest 23-year-old Anthony Crawford in the murder of Wendy Martinez, a Greenacres woman who was stabbed while jogging in D.C. https://t.co/LBiuE7Pitz@WPTV@WPTVContact5#Contact5
— Merris Badcock (@MerrisBadcock) September 20, 2018
Martinez was stabbed multiple times on Sept. 18, while jogging near the 1400 block of 11th Street, Northwest, in Washington, D.C.
In a press conference Thursday morning, Washington, D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said the "unsettling" stabbing appears to be random.
"We believe there was only one person involved in the assault," Newsham told reporters during a press conference. "We do not have any information to suggest that Wendy knew or had any association with the suspect in this case. We also do not have any information at this point to suggest that it was a robbery, so the motive in this case is unknown. "
Newsham described Crawford's criminal history as "extensive," but noted Crawford has no indication of violence in his criminal past. Police are still reviewing Crawford's criminal history and background.
Police located Crawford in a park Wednesday night and brought him in for questioning.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser credited neighbors with the fast arrest. Bowser told reporters "outraged" neighbors gave detectives important information in the crucial hours after Martinez was stabbed. The key information helped detectives quickly put the pieces together.
Crawford was transported to the hospital with a hand injury and described as not being cooperative with police.
EARLIER:
GREENACRES, Fla. - A 35-year-old woman stabbed to death while jogging in Washington, D.C. has ties to Greenacres.
According to Metropolitan Police Department, Wendy Martinez was jogging near the 1400 block of 11th Street, Northwest on Sept. 18, when a man came up and stabbed her multiple times.
Martinez was seen on surveillance video running to a nearby Asian restaurant for help. She was rushed to the hospital but died from her injuries.
Family members tell Contact 5’s Crime Investigator Merris Badcock, Martinez was a marathon runner, and ran in the neighborhood often.
According to family, Martinez grew up in Greenacres and graduated from Lake Worth High School. After graduation she moved to the D.C. area where she went to college and started her career.
Family members provided this photo of Wendy Martinez, one and a half weeks before she was killed.
Recent photos of Martinez show she recently got engaged to her fiancé. A family member who did not want to be identified told Contact 5 they were shocked by what happened. “We were planning a wedding, and now we have to plan a funeral,” the woman said.
Family members say Martinez will be buried in Greenacres, but they have to wait for police to release her body before they can bring her home.
Metro police have released surveillance video of a possible suspect. You can view that video here.
The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by sending a text message to 50411.
UPDATE: Family members of Wendy Martinez are speaking publicly for the first time. Cora Martinez talks about seeing her daughter in her wedding dress just days before she was murdered. https://t.co/LBiuE7Pitz@WPTV@WPTVContact5#Contact5pic.twitter.com/Eqbe61GvB3
— Merris Badcock (@MerrisBadcock) September 20, 2018
Help us identify the person responsible for the murder of Wendy Martinez. She was stabbed to death last night in the 1400 block of 11th St, NW.
Click the link for additional details and video. http://t.co/Ybce195sqs
Have info? Call 202-727-9099/Text 50411 pic.twitter.com/9LjLavquPZ
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) September 19, 2018
