An Arkansas man is accused of strangling his mother to death, hiding her corpse in a freezer, and then attempting to convince relatives that she had abruptly moved to Hawaii while he pilfered her bank accounts, KARK-TV reports.
Raymond Martin Jr., 49, is facing a raft of charges in connection with the death of his mother, 68-year-old Nancy Glover-Warren, including capital murder, abuse of a corpse, forgery, fraudulent use of a credit or debit card, and theft of property.
Details of the case, obtained by the television station through court documents, are disturbing and tragic.
On April 20, family members attempted to contact Glover-Warren about a death in the family but were unable to reach her. They said they received messages purporting to be from her alleging that she was traveling to Hawaii and could not attend the funeral.
The relatives said such behavior was unusual for Glover-Warren, especially because she has an adult child with cognitive disabilities – not Martin – and would need to have arranged care for them.
Then on June 24, family members tried to speak with Glover-Warren through a video call, but the call did not connect. That’s when loved ones reported Glover-Warren missing to police in Conway, about 30 miles northwest of Little Rock.
Shortly after police arrived at the residence, the relatives reported receiving text messages purporting to be from Glover-Warren alleging that she was embarrassed and angry the police had been called. Additional text messages followed alleging that Glover-Warren was “very happy and carefree” and had started a relationship with someone in Hawaii.
But at the home, officers were not able to speak with anyone and left, according to KATV.
Martin later did talk with police and allegedly told officers that he regularly communicated with his mother, telling them that she had gone to Hawaii for her “mental health,” KARK-TV reports. He allegedly said she would not be available to speak with investigators until January.
But on July 5, police determined that a photo Glover-Warren purportedly sent a friend from a Hawaii beach was an image posted online, THV 11 reports. This led police to ramp up their inquiry.
Investigators secured a search warrant and traced Glover-Warren’s phone to the residence where Martin lived. Social media posts Glover-Warren allegedly published from Hawaii were also linked to the Arkansas house.
Further, police determined that Martin had withdrawn substantial amounts of money from his mother’s bank accounts, including forging a $6,000 check.
Upon searching the residence, police discovered Glover-Warren’s body in a garage freezer. Her hands were bound with tape and she was wrapped in a blanket.
Police interviewed Martin, who allegedly said that on the day his mother died, believed to be April 19, she had pushed him down the steps of their patio and confronted him with a knife.
Martin allegedly said that he then grabbed his mom from behind and tightly wrapped his hands around her neck to choke her. Martin allegedly said that he placed a bag over his mom’s head because he was “unable to look at her because she had a single tear running down her cheek,” KARK-TV reports, citing the court documents.
Investigators believe that Martin had a “troubled relationship” with his mom, whom he said suffered from declining mental health as a result of dementia, multiple strokes, and a fall.
Martin also allegedly confessed to stealing his mother’s money, according to KARK-TV. He said he was going to use the funds to launch a DJ business.
Authorities are detaining Martin without bond in the Faulkner County Detention Center.
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[Feature Photo: Raymond Martin Jr./Faulkner County Detention Center]
