Seal of Yoknapatawpha County with the label 'Incident Report'

Incident report

Emergency Services received a 911 call reporting a severely injured person at a local church.

Smiling man wearing a hard hat and holding a hammer

Wendell Martinson bio

Wendell was a pastor at the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit for over 30 years.

Smiling man with close-cropped dark hair and a thin mustache

Leo Ingram bio

Leo joined Pastor Martinson's congregation as a teenager and now is the associate pastor.

Smiling man with close-cropped dark hair and a thin mustache

Leo Ingram interview

Leo told the detectives about his discovery of the body and his relationship with Pastor Martinson.

File folder with a photo of parishioners in silhouette in front of a stained glass window

Canvass – church members

YCSD investigators spoke to church members and visitors who arrived for Easter services.

Man in minister's robes blessing a kneeling woman with a stained glass window in the background with the Oxford Weekly Planet logo in the foreground

Pastor slain

The Crime Beat reports: Minister beaten to death in church

Woman with curly blonde hair

Lynette Martinson bio

Lynette is a dedicated wife, mother, and nurse and an active participant in her husband’s ministry.

Woman with curly blonde hair

Lynette Martinson interview

The detectives asked the victim's wife about their marriage and her husband's enemies.

Smiling woman with long brown hair

Fay Nutt bio

Preacher's daughter Fay rejected the church until her work for Pastor Martinson changed her mind.

Smiling woman with long brown hair

Fay Nutt interview

The detectives interviewed the church secretary to learn more about Pastor Martinson's activities at work.

Woman with dark hair and eyes

Deirdre Littleton bio

Recently divorced from her husband of 15 years, Deirdre lives alone with her teenage son.

Woman with dark hair and eyes

Deirdre Littleton interview

The detectives asked Ms. Littleton about her connection to Pastor Martinson.

White-haired woman with glasses

Zina Jacinto bio

Zina is a longtime active member of the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit church.

White-haired woman with glasses

Zina Jacinto interview

The detectives talked to Zina, a familiar face from a recent investigation.

Bird's eye view of the victim's neighborhood

Canvass – Martinson neighbors

YCSD investigators canvassed the Martinsons' neighbors for potential leads in Pastor Martinson's murder.

Seal of Yoknapatawpha County with the label 'Evidence Inventory'

Evidence inventory

CSU submitted this preliminary inventory of evidence collected at the Martinson homicide scene.

Squinting man with reddish-brown hair and mustache

Emmett Sanford bio

Emmett's 15-year marriage broke up after he admitted to a brief affair.

Squinting man with reddish-brown hair and mustache

Emmett Sanford interview

Detective Armstrong talked to Emmett about his relationship with Pastor Martinson.

Man with glasses and a dark mustache

Joey Kemp bio

Joey is a Fellowship of the Holy Spirit church member and Zina's adoptive cousin.

Man with glasses and a dark mustache

Joey Kemp interview

The detectives talked to Joey about the church's finances and his cousin Zina.

Large smiling man in preacher's robes

Gideon Horner bio

Reverend Horner has been a pastor in his wife's hometown of Oxford for nearly 20 years.

Large smiling man in preacher's robes

Gideon Horner interview

The detectives asked Reverend Horner what Pastor Martinson might have been worried or upset about.

Teen boy with blond hair

Liam Sanford bio

Liam grew up in the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit church but stopped going last year.

Teen boy with blond hair

Liam Sanford interview

The detectives talked to Liam about his family's relationship with Pastor Martinson.

Exterior of the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department with the Oxford Weekly Planet logo in the foreground

How did Martinson die?

The Oxford Weekly Planet's Crime Beat blog comments on the Martinson homicide investigation.

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