Smiley Martin, the second suspect apprehended in the recent Sacramento mass shooting was released early from a 10-year jail term for assaulting his fiancée, despite objections from prosecutors to the California parole board, saying the repeat offender should remain behind bars. According to California law enforcement, Martin, 27 also appeared with a firearm in a Facebook Live video just hours before the violence began.
A two-page letter acquired by the Sacramento Bee from District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert’s office revealed that Martin had encouraged his fiancée to work as a prostitute and offered guidance on the kind of customers she should seek as well as how to accept payment. The letter stated in part, “[Martin] has no respect for others, for law enforcement or for the law. If he is released early, he will continue to break the law.” He was convicted of assaulting the woman.
Martin has since been charged with possessing a pistol that had been modified into a machine gun, which was discovered at the scene of the shootout and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He was arrested in a hospital while recovering from bullet wounds sustained in the shooting that left six people dead and 12 more injured. While it’s unclear if the weapon he is seen holding in his Facebook Live video is the same as the one seized at the scene, a Facebook profile that appeared to belong to the suspect was changed to private on Tuesday.
Martin’s brother, Dandrae Martin, 26, was the first to be arrested as a suspect in the shooting. However, neither of the men has been charged with homicide and investigators suspect there are more shooters. Since 2013, Smiley has had multiple run-ins with authorities, including a conviction for illegal weapons possession. Additionally, he was convicted for a string of smash-and-grab robberies, as well as giving false information to officers and evading arrest.
