OXFORD WEEKLY PLANET

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Opinion: The public deserves answers on Wendell Martinson's murder

What is the Sheriff's Department hiding?

The Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department has yet to tell us how Pastor Wendell Martinson was murdered. People who've seen the room where Martinson was killed say it was a bloody mess, but the ones who talked to us hadn't seen Martinson's body, so they didn't know what kind of injuries he had.

Why won't the YCSD tell us what happened? Are they protecting someone?

Most Yoknapatawphans are familiar with the location of the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit church, and nobody just happens to be passing by that spot. If you're at that church, you meant to go there.

So why did the killer go there? Was it to see Martinson? Was the killer there for something else and just happened to run into Martinson? And what reason would anyone have for being there in the middle of the night?

Church members tell us there's nothing of value at the church, so they don't think anyone would break in for a burglary. But the same church members also don't think anyone would want to kill Martinson, so what's going on?

And speaking of burglary, did someone break into the church that day, or was it already unlocked? Was this a burglary gone wrong? Was it premeditated?

Maybe we'd start getting some answers to all of these questions if the YCSD would start sharing some of what they know.

A lot of people in this community are very upset about Martinson's murder. They'd like to help find the killer if they can, but they don't know what to do.

Sheriff Sheldon, why won't your department release some information about the case and accept the public's help? What are you hiding?

By Kemper Jones at 5:23 PM