Demetrius Tyree Martin (Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office)
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - An Alpharetta man has pleaded guilty to murder in the 2021 shooting death of a stranger at a Norcross hotel and will spend the rest of his life in prison, prosecutors said.
ORIGINAL STORY: 33-year-old arrested in murder investigation at Norcross hotel
What we know:
Demetrius Tyree Martin, 38, entered a guilty plea Tuesday to felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault in the killing of 45-year-old Enrique Romero Sanchez. Under the plea agreement, Martin was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Authorities said the shooting followed a series of arguments between Martin and his girlfriend on May 8, 2021. Martin accused her of flirting with a man staying in a room upstairs from theirs at the motel. Prosecutors said Martin left the property, obtained a pistol-rifle with an extended barrel and ammunition magazine, and returned to the hotel.
Surveillance video showed Martin knocking on multiple doors on the upper level of the hotel before walking to a curb across from Room 229, where Sanchez and Francisco Garcia Carmona were staying. Prosecutors said neither man knew Martin or had any prior interaction with him.
After standing outside for several minutes, Martin fired 17 rounds into the room, killing Sanchez and wounding Carmona, according to authorities. Martin then fled the scene.
The case was prosecuted by the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office with assistance from the Gwinnett County Police Department and the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office.