POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Murder suspect Enrique Martinez is in custody, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
Just after 4:00 pm on Tuesday, deputies spotted Martinez “casually walking down the sidewalk” just north of Eagle Lake, said Judd.
“Our detectives, who were stalking him hard, were shocked that all of a sudden here, he appeared just wandering down the sidewalk. But there was a reason for that. We had put so much pressure on his friends and his family, we made several arrests of people who had harbored him or transported him to get him away from us, that he was too hot to handle for even his friends or his family,” said Judd.
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“So he began to run, and he ran into a wooded line. We set a perimeter with our deputies, a lot of our deputies, we were joined by the Winter Haven, Police Department, they’re great allies and partners and they came out to assist. We searched for him with a canine, and he came out of a wooded area and gave up,” said Judd.
“We took him into custody peacefully, which was another shock for us as we certainly anticipated that he wouldn’t go that easy. After his arrest, I was on the perimeter with my deputies. I went to the location where we arrested him. He was in the back seat of a patrol car. I opened the door, and I looked at him. He said, hi, Sheriff. How are you doing? I said I’m fine. Are you tired? He says I gave myself up,” said Judd. “Well, that’s a pretty easy choice when you’re surrounded by a hundred deputy sheriffs with guns.”
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office previously issued a warrant for first-degree murder for 26-year-old Enrique Martinez, 5’6″ tall, 146 lbs, in November 2023 for the murder of an adult Hispanic male in a homeless camp on November 8, 2023.
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Martinez is now a suspect in the death of 20-year-old Sierra Hernandez, who was reported missing to PCSO by her mother on January 14, 2024, but is believed to have been killed days prior.
Sheriff Judd is expected to give an additional update on this case on Wednesday.
Martinez has a very lengthy and violent criminal history dating back to 2011, with 13 felonies and 15 misdemeanors.
He spent five years in state prison for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and battery domestic violence – he was released in November 2022.
He was most recently arrested for battery, domestic violence, and resisting arrest in April 2023 and was released on bond.
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