JASHON WILLIAMS - 17 months (2009)/ Convicted: Mother's BF; Curtis Martin III - Berkeley CA

Authorities are searching for a missing infant, the son of the  woman found murdered in Berkeley's Aquatic Park Friday morning.Oakland
police say 8-month-old Jashon Williams was with his mother, Zoelina
Williams, before she was killed. A patrol officer in Berkeley found her
body at about 4 a.m. Friday on the shoreline in Aquatic Park during a
routine security check.Shortly after 1 p.m. Friday, police
arrested a suspect, 38-year-old Oakland resident Curtis Martin III.
However Jashon Williams is still missing, and believed to be at risk,
according to Oakland police.Zoelina Williams' relatives
contacted Oakland police after her body was found to let them know
about the missing child, according to police spokesman Officer Jeff
Thomason.Aquatic Park remains closed as police continue
searching the scene. Diving teams are at the site this morning,
according to Berkeley police.Anyone who may have information on
the whereabouts of Jashon Williams should call the Oakland Police
Department's missing persons section at (510) 238-3641.

Divers
and search dogs scoured Berkeley's Aquatic Park today for any signs of
a missing 17-month-old boy whose mother was killed, but their search
yielded no clues about the toddler's whereabouts, authorities said.Jashon Williams was last known to be with his mother, Zoelina Williams,
23, of Oakland, who was found beaten and fatally shot at about 4 a.m.
Friday in the park, police said. A suspect in the slaying, convicted
child-killer Curtis Martin III, 38, of Oakland, remained in jail today.
Jashon's family was holding out hope that the little boy would be found but acknowledged that their fears were mounting.
"We want a miracle to happen - we just want him to be home,"
Williams' brother, Karim Toney, 28, of Oakland, said today. "But for
(Martin) to kill my sister, it only makes sense that something must
have happened to the baby."
Martin has a history of violence and has been convicted of robbery,
burglary and weapons charges. He pleaded no contest to voluntary
manslaughter and was sentenced to 11 years in prison for the 1994 fatal
beating of 3-year-old Devin Brewer of Oakland, the son of his
then-girlfriend. Last year, Martin was arrested - but never prosecuted
- in a domestic-violence case.
Police ended their search for Jashon today afternoon, but only after
as many as many as 30 people searched the park's lagoon and estuary,
some from the Berkeley Police Department and divers and dogs from the
Alameda County search and rescue team. A helicopter and plane also
searched overhead, and a boat trolled the estuary for clues.
"The initial search was done in the dark, so we're making sure that
nothing has been overlooked," said Lt. Andrew Greenwood, a Berkeley
police spokesman on the scene. "So far we've found nothing at all ...
In a sense, we're hoping we don't find anything."
Toney said that he believed his sister and the suspect "had been seeing each other," and that Martin is not Jashon's father.
Martin was arrested shortly after 1 p.m. Friday near his home at
24th and Chestnut streets in West Oakland by Officer Keith Dodds,
police said. Martin's van was seized and he is to appear in Alameda
County Superior Court on Tuesday pending the filing of formal charges.
Martin became the prime suspect because he had been stopped by a
Berkeley police officer who found him on foot in Aquatic Park, just
east of Interstate 80, authorities said. Martin was warned that the
park was closed and just 10 minutes later the same officer found
Williams' body, police said.
Her body was on the shoreline north of the traffic circle at the
corner of Bolivar Drive and Potter Street. She had been beaten and shot
in the head and buttocks, police said.

A
child's body was found today near the Berkeley Marina, not far from
where police officers had been searching for Jashon Williams, a missing
17-month-old boy whose mother was found killed in nearby Aquatic Park,
authorities said.The body was found by two kayakers shortly before 11 a.m., said
Berkeley police Lt. Andrew Greenwood. He said the body was floating
about 50 to 100 feet from the shoreline on the south side of the marina.
"All I can tell you is the body is that of a child," Greenwood said. He said water flowed between Aquatic Park and the marina.
Firefighters retrieved the body from the water this afternoon.
Berkeley homicide investigators and an Alameda County coroner's van
were on the scene.
The coroner will be responsible for identifying the body and
determining the cause of death, Greenwood said, adding that police were
treating the discovery as a "found body" and had not classified the
case as a homicide.
The discovery was made on a brisk Sunday morning in an area popular
with joggers, dog-walkers and boat enthusiasts. The Cal Sailing Club
was in the water nearby.
On Saturday, divers and search dogs had scoured Aquatic Park for
signs of Jashon Williams, the 17-month-old son of Zoelina Williams, 23,
of Oakland.
Zoelina Williams was found beaten and fatally shot about 4 a.m.
Friday in the park, police said. A suspect in the slaying, Curtis
Martin III, 38, of Oakland, remained in jail today.
Relatives of Williams said they had not seen Jashon since Halloween
and that they believed the little boy had been with Martin, a convicted
child-killer who has served time in connection with robbery, burglary
and weapons charges.
Martin pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and was
sentenced to 11 years in prison for the 1994 fatal beating of
3-year-old Devin Brewer of Oakland, the son of his then-girlfriend.
Last year, Martin was arrested but not prosecuted in a domestic-violence case.
Toney said that he believed his sister and the suspect "had been seeing each other," and that Martin is not Jashon's father.
Martin was arrested shortly after 1 p.m. Friday near his home at
24th and Chestnut streets in West Oakland by Officer Keith Dodds,
police said.
Martin's van was seized, and he is to appear in Alameda County Superior Court on Tuesday pending the filing of formal charges.
Martin became the prime suspect because he had been stopped by a
Berkeley police officer who found him on foot in Aquatic Park, just
east of Interstate 80, authorities said.
Martin was warned that the park was closed, and just 10 minutes later the same officer found Williams' body, police said.
Her body was on the shoreline north of the traffic circle at the
corner of Bolivar Drive and Potter Street. She had been beaten and shot
in the head and buttocks, police said.

The suspected remains of 17-month-old Jashon Williams found Sunday at the
Berkeley Marina remain unidentified by the Alameda County coroner's
office today.It is not known how long the child's small body
had been in the water or when or how he died.Police
began searching for Jashon after relatives notified police that he had
not been seen since Oct. 31. The boy's mother, West Oakland resident
Zoelina Williams, 23, was found beaten and shot to death before dawn
Friday in a parking lot at Aquatic Park, about a mile from the marina. Oakland
police said they believe Jashon was with his mother when she died.
Several of Williams' family members, however, said she had not been
caring for the baby since the night of Oct. 31."There was mold
in the house she was living in," said Williams' cousin, Brandan Dixon.
"So she got the baby out of the house so it wouldn't get sick."Relatives
said the baby had gone to stay with a relative of Curtis Martin III,
possibly in Vallejo. Martin, 38, was arrested Friday on suspicion of
killing Williams. Police were able to track him down because a
Berkeley police officer had stopped him in Aquatic Park shortly before
the officer discovered Williams' body. The officer had taken
down his name and at least a partial license plate on his van before
letting him go. The officer then discovered the body and the rifle that
authorities say was used to kill her. Martin was arrested on a
West Oakland street about nine hours later.The
Berkeley Police Department has not given the case to the Alameda County
district attorney for review and charging, said Assistant District
Attorney Tom Rogers, who expects to have the case Tuesday.Martin
is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Alameda County
Superior Court. He has declined to be interviewed, said Berkeley police
Lt. Andrew Greenwood. He remains in custody on a no-bail hold. Martin
and Williams had been in a secret romantic relationship before she was
killed, several relatives said today. Many of those relatives said they
were horrified to learn Martin had a violent criminal past, including a
no contest plea deal for voluntary manslaughter for the 1994 beating
death of 3-year-old Devin Brewer of Oakland, the son of his girlfriend
at the time. Martin was sentenced to 11 years in prison, given credit
for time served and released in 2000. Martin's mother, Charlotte Martin,
said today that she hasn't been able to speak to her son since he was arrested.
"He's not a monster," Martin said of her son. "People are going to feel what
they feel, and I can understand that. I just want them to remember
nothing is ever the way it appears. Our family loves children. We're
protective of children."The woman said she is struggling with what to do next."I
don't know any attorneys. I need to get somebody who can talk to him
because I'm baffled," she said. "Everything is just up in the air. I
want to know what happened."

An Oakland family is angry over what may turn out to be a double murder by a man who has killed before.
The body of 23-year old Zoelina Williams was found Friday morning. Her 17-month-old son was reported missing the next day. Williams' boyfriend, Curtis Martin III, is now in jail. A child's body was found by kayakers Sunday off the Berkeley Marina,
two days after Williams was found murdered in Aquatic Park. The coroner
is expected to identify that child soon. The Alameda County
coroner's office has yet to release the identity of the child as they
are still waiting for lab results. The family fears it is Williams' son and in the meantime, they are in absolute shock over her accused killer's criminal past. "We seek justice. The Lewis family& We seek justice," said Brenda Lewis, Zoelina Williams' first cousin. She and other family members of the 23-year-old murder victim cannot
believe why her accused killer Curtis Martin would be allowed to roam
the streets. He has been charged with her murder. She was found shot and beaten Friday morning in Aquatic Park along the shoreline east of I-80. On Sunday, kayakers found the body of a child floating off the Berkeley
Marina. It may be Williams' son, 17-month-old Jashon, who disappeared
around the same time as Williams. Martin served time for the
murder of the 3-year-old son of a girlfriend 15 years ago. Devin Brewer
was taken to a hospital with bruises and other wounds on his body.
Martin claimed Devin had fallen while playing. In 1994, he was
arrested and charged in Oakland with Devin's murder. At the time,
Martin was on parole for robbery. He also had previous convictions for
armed robbery, burglary and weapons violations. Martin pleaded no
contest to voluntary manslaughter and served six years of an 11-year
sentence. Last year, he was arrested for violating a
restraining order against another girlfriend who was the victim of
domestic violence. He was never prosecuted. "Something has
terribly gone wrong. This man should not have been out," Lewis said
Monday. "He should still & They should have let him serve his time.
Was his behavior that good, to let a psychotic individual out on the
streets?" Reporters tried to obtain Curtis Martin's criminal
records but Alameda County's computerized public records only go back
10 years. The district attorney's office also had problems finding the
files, but say they should have them by Tuesday and be able to comment
at that time. Martin made constant
threats against his former girlfriend who filed a restraining order.
She was in a law enforcement protection program. On Sunday,
investigators pulled the body of a small child from the water at the
Berkeley Marina. The question is, is it missing Jashon Williams,
the 17-month-old boy who has not been seen since his mother's body was
found nearby on Friday. An autopsy is underway and results are expected
Monday or Tuesday. Authorities were at the Berkeley Marina all
day Sunday working on the investigation. Now, the Alameda County
coroner is trying to determine whether the baby pulled out of the water
Sunday morning is that of Jashon Williams or someone else. Family
members of murdered Zoelina Williams are convinced this was her son. "It looked like it had been in the water a long, long time," Dee Wood said. Wood had just started out in her kayak when friends noticed something suspicious floating near a dock. "They told us to come back because they had seen a body in the water,"
she said. "They didn't know if it was the body of a bird or something,
but they suspected it was a baby" Their sad suspicion was right. Devastated family members
rushed to the marina even without official word. Williams' brother,
Karim Toney, says he knows in his heart the baby is Jashon. "They can't give us any information, but we put two and two together and it must be my nephew," he said. Police arrested 38-year-old Curtis Martin Friday in connection with Zoelina's death. Family members believe they may have been dating. As they try to piece together answers, so do authorities. "Obviously, there's a proximity to the lagoon and to the south Aquatic
Park, to the estuary," said Lt. Andrew Greenwood. "There are flow paths
between there through which water flows and those are large pipes or
areas." Family members say Zoelina never talked about her
relationship with Martin. They do not believe the 23-year-old mother
had any idea that in the mid-90s, Martin served six years in prison for
beating his then-girlfriend's 3-year-old son to death. Many people want
to know how a child killer could have been freed to kill again. "I want to know why was he even out on the streets, knowing that he
killed a baby or beat a baby," said Williams' cousin Myesha Bonner. "It
just doesn't make sense." "I think it's just a tragic
situation, to where she was just dealing with the wrong guy, and he
preyed on her 'cause she was a sweet person," said Toney. "She didn't
think he would do anything to her." Relatives say they have
not actually seen Jashon since around Halloween. Many of them believe
he may have been staying with Curtis Martin since then. Martin is being
held at the Berkeley Jail with no bail and is due to be arraigned in
Alameda County on Tuesday.

Curtis Martin III of Oakland was charged yesterday with two counts
of murder and special circumstances, which, if convicted, could result
in the death penalty or a life sentence without the possibility of
parole.
Martin was arrested Friday by Oakland police working with
Berkeley Police Department Homicide detectives after being suspected of
killing 23-year-old Oakland resident Zoelina Williams, whose body was
found early Friday morning in Berkeley's Aquatic Park.
Martin was charged with murder in the Alameda County Superior
Court due to his alleged connection with the death of Williams and her
17-month-old son Jashon Williams, whose body is believed by
investigators to be that of a child who was found dead near the
Berkeley Marina Sunday.
In addition to the two counts of murder, Martin was charged
with special circumstances for multiple murders and killing a witness
to a crime. Investigators believe Zoelina Williams was killed because
she had knowledge of her son's death, police said.
Family and friends packed the courtroom to hear the charges
brought against Martin. Some wept after hearing Martin be charged with
murder in connection with the death of Jashon Williams, who had
previously been reported missing.
"It's hard for us to deal with her death, and on top of it now
we have to deal with (Jashon's death)," said Novella Ellis, Zoelina
Williams's cousin. "It's just horrible."
Elois Windmon, aunt of Zoelina Williams, in the midst of tears, said she believes Martin should get the death penalty.
"He needs the chair," Windmon said. "He needs to go straight to the chair."
Police said the Alameda County Sheriff's Office Coroner's Bureau
has not yet confirmed the child's body found is that of Jashon
Williams, but noted that the body fits the child's race, gender and
size.
The recent charges do not mark the first time Martin has been accused of violence.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Martin was convicted
of voluntary manslaughter in the 1994 fatal beating of 3-year-old Devin
Brewer, the son of his girlfriend at the time. Martin was sentenced to
11 years but was released earlier.
Members of Brewer's family also attended court Tuesday in support of Williams' family.
"If justice would have been served (in) 1994 ... there wouldn't
have been another life taken," said Anthony Hall, Brewer's second
cousin. "Justice really has to get served this time."
In September 2008, a female Oakland resident was granted a
restraining order against Martin. According to court documents, Martin
had hit, choked and stomped on the woman in December 2007,
hospitalizing her.
Though the woman contacted police after the incident, according
to documents, she gave investigators a different name for fear of being
further attacked, and charges against Martin were not made.
According to the documents, Martin also threatened violence against the woman's son.
"In the past, he stated if my son was of age he would hurt him," said the woman in the documents.
Martin was referred to the public defender of Alameda County and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
He is currently being held without possibility of bail at the Santa Rita Jail.

OAKLAND
— A routine court hearing for Curtis Martin, accused of killing his
girlfriend and their baby, turned dramatic today when victims' family
members screamed at Martin as he pleaded not guilty."You killed
my family members. You put my baby in the water," screamed a family
member of Zoelina Williams, whose body was found in Aquatic Park in
Berkeley last November. "May you burn in hell."Martin, who
served six years in prison for killing another son in 1994, is accused
of killing his 17-month-old son, Jashon, and later Jashon's mother,
Williams, 23. Police and prosecutors believe he killed Williams to keep
her from telling authorities about her son's death.Martin was in
court today to enter a plea to charges that make him eligible for the
death penalty. It would have been a routine appearance except for the
outburst by Williams' family, who chastised Martin has he sat chained
to a chair.Martin responded to the family, saying something that was inaudible and prompting another outburst by Williams' brother."What? You killed a baby," the brother said as he charged toward Martin. "I'll fight you right now."Martin
was arrested Nov. 16 after Berkeley police found Williams' body. Police
were able to track Martin down because an officer had stopped Martin in
the park just before the body was found.The officer let Martin go because he did not suspect any wrongdoing but recorded Martin's name and a partial license plate number of the van he was driving.After
police found Williams' body, family members notified them that Jashon
also was missing. Several days later, kayakers in the Bay saw the
child's body floating in the water near the Berkeley Marina.The
Alameda County Coroner's Office identified the body as Jashon's last
month using DNA. A cause of death could not be determined because the
body was too decomposed, the coroner's office said.Nevertheless,
District Attorney Nancy O'Malley charged Martin with multiple murders
and several special enhancements including multiple murders and killing
the witness of a crime.Martin has two prior convictions: a 1992
conviction of being in possession of an assault rifle and a 1994
conviction of voluntary manslaughter for killing his 3-year-old son,
Devin Brewer.The District Attorney's Office agreed to a plea
deal with Martin in Devin's death because witnesses refused to testify
against Martin during a trial and there was not enough evidence to
pursue a murder charge, records show.Martin was sentenced to 11 years in prison but was released in six years after receiving credit for time served.Fred Baker, Martin's defense attorney, declined to comment after the hearing.Williams' family members were escorted out of the courthouse and could not be reached for comment.

CURTIS MARTIN TO STAND TRIAL FOR ALLEGED MURDER OF ZOELINA TONEY AND 3-YEAR-OLD SON
Published by Staff Writer on February 4, 2011


An Oakland man was ordered today to stand trial on charges that he murdered a 17-month-old boy and then killed the boy’s mother, who was his girlfriend, in an attempt to cover up the original crime.Alameda County Superior Court Judge Joan Cartwright ruled that prosecutors provided sufficient evidence at a four-day preliminary hearing to establish that there is probable cause that the charges against Curtis Martin, 39, are true.

Martin is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 18 to be arraigned and to have a trial date set on two counts of murder and two special circumstance clauses alleging that he killed a witness and committed multiple murders.The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office will decide before then whether to seek the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.Martin was arrested on Nov. 13, 2009, after Berkeley police found the body of 23-year-old Zoelina Toney, his girlfriend, in Aquatic Park, along the shoreline east of Interstate Highway 580 in Berkeley.

Her son Jashon’s body was found two days later near the Berkeley Marina, about a mile from where his mother was found.Prosecutors believe that Martin killed Jashon before he killed Toney.Forensic pathologist Dr. Paul Herrmann testified on Monday that Jashon’s body was so badly decomposed when it was found that he was unable to establish a cause of death.He described Jashon’s body as being “remarkably decomposed” and estimated that it had been in the water for about two weeks.

In addition to the murder and special circumstance allegations, Martin is charged with having two prior felony convictions: a 1994 voluntary manslaughter conviction for the death of the 3-year-old son of his girlfriend at the time and a 1992 conviction for possession of an assault weapon.Martin was initially charged with murder in the 1994 case, which involved the death of Devin Brewer.But the district attorney’s office agreed to a plea deal that called for Martin to plead no contest to the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter and be sentenced to 11 years in state prison.

When Judge Larry Goodman sentenced Martin on Jan. 9, 1995, he said to Martin, “Why did you do this? Why did you hit Devin? You are the most vile human being. You are a baby killer. How do you sleep?”Martin’s preliminary hearing originally was assigned to Goodman, but Martin asked that his hearing be assigned to another judge, citing Goodman’s comments in 1995.Martin was paroled from state prison on Sept. 7, 2000, after serving only about six years.However, he had to return to state prison for three short stints for violating the terms of his parole.

http://www.fugitive.com/archives/35626

Killer Of Oakland Mom, Toddler To ‘Die In State Prison’

December 14, 2012 9:40 PM

OAKLAND (CBS SF) - An Oakland man who killed three people, including two young boys, received his day of judgment when he was sentenced Friday to six consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Vernon Nakahara said Curtis Martin III, 41, “will die in state prison and not be released in the future.”

Nakahara sentenced Martin for murdering 17-month-old Jashon Williams and the boy’s mother, 23-year-old Zoelina Toney, in the fall of 2009.

On July 19, during jury selection for his trial, Martin pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for killing Jashon and to first-degree murder for killing Toney.

In addition, Martin pleaded guilty to three special-circumstance murder allegations: murdering Toney because she was a witness to the murder of her son, lying in wait, and committing multiple murders.

Nakahara also took into account Martin’s prior criminal history, which includes three prior felony convictions: a 1994 voluntary manslaughter conviction for the death of the 3-year-old son of his girlfriend at the time, a 1992 conviction for possession of an assault weapon and a 1988 conviction for first-degree robbery.

Because two of Martin’s previous convictions were considered strikes for sentencing purposes, Judge Nakahara tripled the two life terms he faced for murdering Jashon and Toney, giving him a total of six life terms plus another 55 years to life.

The criminal complaint said Jashon was killed sometime between Oct. 25, 2009, and Nov. 8, 2009, and prosecutor Tim Wellman said the killing most likely occurred on Oct. 31 or Nov. 1.

Authorities said that after Martin killed Jashon, he dumped the boy into San Francisco Bay. His decomposed body was found on Nov. 15, 2009, at the Berkeley Marina.

Martin killed Toney on Nov. 13, 2009, by shooting and bludgeoning her. Toney’s body was found in the Aquatic Park, along the shoreline east of Interstate 80 in Berkeley, about 4 a.m. that day.

Wellman said Friday, “It’s time to close the book on the violent, murderous and unrepentant life of Curtis Martin.”

Brenda Lewis, a family member of Jashon and Toney, said their deaths were “violent and brutal” and Martin “had no feelings for human kind.”

Referring to Martin’s sentencing, Lewis said, “This will not be his last judgment – he will have to stand before Jesus and answer for killing those babies. He will have to answer to God.”

Martin had previously been charged with murder for the Feb. 11, 1994, death of 3-year-old Devin Brewer, who was the son of his girlfriend.

The probable cause statement in that case said the boy died of blunt force trauma to the head, and his mother reported that he had suffered several burns and blunt force injuries in the weeks prior to his death.

However, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office agreed to a plea deal that called for Martin to plead no contest to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter and be sentenced to 11 years in state prison.

Martin was paroled from state prison on Sept. 7, 2000, after serving only about six years.

Devin Brewer’s mother, Kianna Reynolds, asked Martin Friday, “Why did you kill my son?”

Reynolds told Martin, “They let you go free and then you killed others.”

She asked him “What gives you the balls to kill anyone?”

Devin’s father, Jo Jo Reynolds, asked Martin, “What could a 3-year-old boy have done to you to make you hurt and kill him? What did my son do?”

Martin didn’t address the court at his hearing Friday but he became upset when Kianna Reynolds spoke.

Martin began talking back to Reynolds and when Nakahara told him to stop talking Martin told the judge “be quiet.”

Martin also became upset when his mother, Shawna Martin spoke and alleged that Reynolds “was the abusive one” in their relationship.

He told his mother, “Sit down” and she stopped talking.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/12/14/killer-of-oakland-mom-toddler-to-die-in-state-prison/