MS-13 gang member visits Maryland high school as murder suspect, school not informed

Aberdeen, Maryland — A grieving mother has a stark warning for parents in Maryland after her daughter was murdered and the suspected killer was allowed to attend a public school.

“When I start at the very beginning and get to the end, they say, ‘Wow, that’s a really crazy story,'” Tammy Nobles, the victim’s mother, told Project Baltimore. “And I say, ‘It’s a crazy story. But it’s a true story.’ It’s the worst pain a parent can ever go through.”

Nobles’ daughter, Kayla Hamilton, was killed on July 27, 2022. Her death made headlines for more than two years. Hamilton was killed by a 16-year-old MS-13 gang member from El Salvador who was in the United States illegally.

“She was found with a string around her neck and mouth. Then she was just left on the ground like garbage,” Nobles explained.

On the day of Kayla’s death, Aberdeen police quickly identified Walter Martinez as the prime suspect. According to the indictment, police arrested and questioned Martinez. Investigators had surveillance video and an audio recording that placed Martinez at the crime scene. Martinez was read his Miranda rights.

“They knew he was guilty. They just needed that DNA to really prove it,” Nobles explained.

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When police sent Martinez’s DNA, it took six months to process. And Project Baltimore can confirm that after Kayla’s murder and while police were waiting for the DNA results, Martinez was allowed to enroll as a student and attended Edgewood High School in Harford County.

“This makes me angry,” Nobles told Project Baltimore. “They sit there and put this monster in a high school with other people’s kids and put children in danger. Look what he did to Kayla.”

According to information Fox45 News received from local and federal authorities involved in the investigation, the timeline of events surrounding Kayla’s murder is as follows:

– In March 2022, Martinez entered the United States illegally through Texas as an unaccompanied minor. He was arrested by Border Patrol and taken to a sponsor in Maryland.

– In July 2022, Martinez moved into a mobile home in Aberdeen, where he later killed Kayla.

– In the fall of 2022, while police awaited DNA results, Martinez was placed in foster care by Child Protective Services. He then attended Edgewood High School.

– In January 2023, the DNA results were available and Martinez was arrested.

– In August 2024, he pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 70 years in prison.

“Why did you send him to a public school? I want to know why,” Nobles said. “Someone has to be held accountable.”

Because Martinez had not yet been charged with murder under Maryland law, he was able to attend Edgewood High School and authorities, including CPS, were not required to inform the school of his past. But Nobles believes someone should have done so.

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When Martinez was enrolled in October 2022, Harford County Public Schools told Fox45 in a statement, “We had no information that would indicate he was a danger to other students and staff. HCPS does not have unrestricted access to law enforcement information that might indicate a potential student is dangerous, affiliated with a gang, or suspected of heinous and disturbing crimes.”

“We need to change the laws,” Nobles said. “If you’re a suspect, the prime suspect in a crime, you shouldn’t be allowed to go to school with other kids. They have virtual school and computers.”

Think about that for a minute. After Kayla’s murder, Martinez was quickly identified as the prime suspect, according to the indictment. Because he was a minor and a member of the MS-13 gang living in the country illegally, several organizations were involved in the investigation:

-Aberdeen Police Department

-Maryland State Police

– FBI

– Immigration and customs authorities

– Child and protection services

But when Martinez attended Edgewood High School, no one involved told the school that a murder suspect was walking the halls with 1,400 other students.

Nobles lives in Virginia with Kayla’s younger brother and sister. She agreed to speak to Project Baltimore because, as unbelievable as her story is, it’s true.

“Imagine what she went through that day, how she felt – in her final moments she knew she was going to die and never see me again – how scared she must have been,” Nobles explained. “I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else. People need to know what really happened and what’s going on. Her death will not have been in vain.”

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