Smiley Martin, the man accused of being the gunman in the worst mass shooting in Sacramento history that left six people dead, died of methadone poisoning, the Sacramento County coroner’s office said Wednesday.
Martin was charged along with two others, including his brother Deandrae Martin, in an April 2022 shooting at the corner of 10th and K streets that also left 12 people injured. The brothers, along with Mtula Payton, faced numerous murder and attempted murder charges after prosecutors said the trio were part of two rival gangs who fired a hail of bullets that killed dozens of innocent people as people left area clubs.
The Sacramento County coroner’s office also classified Martin’s death as an accident. It’s unclear when autopsy results will be released. Sacramento County Coroner Rosa Vega did not answer a question about the timeline.
Martin was found unresponsive in his cell in the East 300 pod of the Sacramento County Main Jail during a cell check on June 8, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said.
Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, said Wednesday that the investigation into Martin’s jailhouse death remains ongoing.
Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; Johntaya Alexander, 21; and Melinda Davis, 57, were killed in the gunfight between two rival groups. Also killed were Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; DeVazia Turner, 29; and Sergio Harris, 38; who police said were involved in the shooting.
Smiley Allen Martin was released from prison two months before the deadly gunfight, where he had served five years of a 10-year sentence before being released. His release, made possible by good behavior and time spent in county custody, became a flashpoint in the political debate over sentencing and rehabilitation.
A preliminary hearing for Dandrae Martin and his co-defendant Payton is ongoing in Sacramento Superior Court. The hearing is set to return to court on September 11, with the lead detective in the mass shooting set to resume his testimony.
