Sarasota man avoids prison time following testimony during September murder trial
A Sarasota man who testified as a witness against two co-defendants in a September 2022 trial for the 2019 killing of a 26-year-old man won’t spend time in prison.
Charron Xavier Demarquis Martin, 27, was adjudicated guilty on Nov. 10 for armed burglary of an occupied dwelling with a firearm with assault or battery and principal to robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon, according to court documents.
Martin was arrested in December 2019, nine months after Christopher Ramos was killed on March 8, 2019, in his home in the 2100 block of Banneker Way. Martin fled from Florida following the incident but returned in October 2019 and was interviewed by detectives.
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Court documents from Nov. 10, 2022, which amended the charges against Martin, stated he unlawfully entered Ramos’ home with the intent to commit an offense and while armed with a weapon assaulted Ramos. The second charge states Martin “by force, assault or putting in fear” took money away from Ramos.
Assistant State Attorney William Greiner said in a statement that he took into consideration multiple factors when evaluating an appropriate sentence for Martin.
"Foremost among these was the determination that Mr. Martin was the least culpable of three co-defendants, that his testimony was a valuable contribution in securing first-degree murder convictions for Sean Thomas and Davion Lee, and that his willingness to testify truthfully has placed him in danger," Greiner said.
Lee and Thomas were arrested in September 2019 in connection to the killing and stood trial as co-defendants in September 2022.
In a recording of the sentencing hearing obtained by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Greiner could be heard saying that the state didn't believe Martin knew who the target was or what was going to happen when he agreed to participate in the robbery.
He added that while he can't know for sure where Martin's heart lies, his detailed account of what happened that day along with the evidence presented during the trial helped to garner a conviction.
Court documents reveal part of Martin’s punishment included his time served, which was 1,049 days in custody in both the Sarasota County Jail and Manatee County Jail, where he was transferred prior to trial for his safety. In addition to the time served, Martin is expected to serve 15 years of probation for each charge which are set to run concurrently, or at the same time.
As part of the arrangement, Martin must also be available to “testify truthfully in all subsequent proceedings related to Davion Lee and Sean Thomas.”
Martin already testified against Lee, 20, and Thomas, 24, during their trial where both defendants were convicted of murder in the first degree, armed burglary of a dwelling and robbery with a firearm.
However, following the jury’s decision, Lee filed a motion for a new trial.
Lee’s defense argued that the court erred in several ways, including “improperly admitting” photos and a video of Lee holding a weapon. The evidence was not sufficiently related to his charges, court documents state, and several objections were raised and a hearing about admitting the evidence was heard prior to the trial.
If Lee is granted a new trial, Martin may be expected to again take the stand to testify.
If Martin complies with all the terms of the arrangement for at least seven and a half years, including maintaining a full-time job, refraining from illegal activities and participating in 120 community service hours each year, his probation will be automatically converted to an administrative probation, meaning it would be an unsupervised level of probation.
'My soul is hurt': Mother of slain man doesn't agree with sentencing
Two of Ramos' loved ones, who spoke during the sentencing, didn't agree with the deal Martin received and were upset he wouldn't spend any time in prison while they wouldn't ever be able to see Ramos again.
Ramos' mother's voice wavered at moments as she became overcome with emotions as she addressed Martin, indicating how her tight-knit family was still hurting.
“I think this, I live this, I dream this every day," Jacqueline Ramos said. "I walked in the house and saw my son on the floor, dead, not breathing. I’m a nurse. I couldn’t do nothing to save him, bring him back. Nothing. You know how that made me feel in the line of work I have to do? I couldn’t do nothing. I could close my eyes, I could open my eyes, I still see that image right now to this day.”
She said it's hard for anyone to understand who hasn't lived through what she and her family are experiencing to know the pain they're in.
“My soul is hurt," Jacqueline Ramos said.
When Martin had the chance to speak, he apologized to the family and asked them for forgiveness. He expressed his regret at not stopping the killing, despite being the oldest during the incident.
"I know you all didn’t deserve that. Even though I wasn’t the shooter, it doesn’t make any difference at all because I was still involved," Martin said.
He told the family that when he finally decided to testify against Lee and Thomas, he did it for God, his family, his grandmother and for Ramos' family.
The judge granted Ramos' loved ones an order of no contact so that Martin wouldn't be allowed to get in touch with them in any way.
“We are hopeful that Mr. Martin will make good on what he has repeatedly expressed," Greiner said during the sentencing, "which is that he can do better and that he is committed to doing better.”
Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota man avoids prison time after testifying in murder trial
