In a powerful testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Tammy Nobles, the mother of murdered 20-year-old Kayla Hamilton, revealed shocking details about how an MS-13 gang member and murder suspect was allowed to enroll in a Maryland public school. Nobles’ testimony, which took place on Tuesday, highlighted significant gaps in the system that she believes put other students at risk.
“I want people to see her as a living person with hopes and dreams, and that they were taken from her,” Nobles said of her daughter, who was killed in July 2022. The perpetrator, Walter Martinez, was sentenced to 70 years in jail for strangling Hamilton with a phone cord and sexually assaulting her after her death.
The case gained renewed attention following a Project Baltimore investigation, which uncovered that Martinez, an illegal immigrant and MS-13 gang member, was enrolled at Edgewood High School after being identified as the primary suspect in Hamilton’s murder. Shockingly, the school was not informed of his status.
During her testimony, Nobles placed much of the blame on Harford County Child Protective Services (CPS). She stated that the Aberdeen Police Department had requested CPS to place Martinez in a secure location due to the nature of his alleged crimes. However, according to Nobles, CPS moved him from a group home to a foster home and enrolled him in high school without informing the police.
“They put other children at risk,” Nobles told Project Baltimore after her testimony. “They put adults at risk. Everyone that was in that school was at risk to end up just like Kayla Hamilton.”
The Maryland Department of Human Services, which oversees CPS, declined to comment on the specific case but stated that they use all available information to determine appropriate placement for children under their care.
Nobles is now advocating for changes in Maryland law and nationwide to enhance student safety. She proposes that school-aged individuals identified as suspects in felony cases should be prohibited from attending school in person until the investigation is complete. Alternatively, if such individuals do attend class, she believes schools should be informed of the alleged felony crimes.
“He should not have been in society at all. He should have been in a secure location where he had access to virtual school,” Nobles emphasized.
In response to these concerns, Project Baltimore has reached out to all 188 state lawmakers in Annapolis, seeking their stance on the proposed legal changes and questioning whether Annapolis prioritizes protecting juvenile offenders over ensuring student safety in schools.
Nobles remains committed to her cause, stating, “Just because Kayla received justice doesn’t mean this stops with Kayla. I am going to continue sharing her story, continue fighting for changes at the federal and state level. So, I could help save other children’s lives and share what is actually happening.”