A Las Vegas man is in jail after throwing his infant baby from a second story balcony. Then he lit his fiancĂ©âs apartment on fire, resulting in the death of their dog. The suspect had a history of mental health issues.
Las Vegas murder spree
In the early hours of October 24, a woman in Las Vegas frantically called 911 to report that a man had thrown her baby off a balcony. âI donât know, he just threw my baby,â the woman told emergency dispatch.
When Las Vegas police arrived on the scene they found the 2-month-old baby girl on the ground outside of the apartment building. The baby had fallen 22 feet and was not breathing. One of the neighbors who witnessed the horrific crime attempted to perform CPR on the baby, but she ultimately passed away a short time later at the hospital.
Another neighbor told police she heard screaming and banging upstairs. When she looked outside, she saw Clarence Martin Jr. leaving the apartment. He was overheard saying âBurn, bitch, burn. This is what you get for cheating on me.â Martin fled the scene just as police arrived. He sped out of the apartment complex driving his fiancĂ©âs white Mercedes Benz and immediately crashed into a Toyota Corolla.
Dead baby and a house fire
As police and paramedics tried to revive the baby outside, neighbors reported smoke coming from the second floor apartment. The Clark County Fire Department was called out to extinguish the blaze, which grew so large that seven other apartments had to be evacuated due to the damage. Fire fighters later found the couple’s poodle dead in the apartment.
Clarence Martin Jr. wasnât done with this night of terror. He continued speeding through Las Vegas wreaking havoc in the stolen Mercedes. He hit another vehicle on the 215 Beltway, then crashed into a third vehicle near the airport tunnel. Martin then stormed into the McCarran International Airport around 4 a.m.
He was shirtless, trying to pull open a locked door when airport employees approached him. Martin then crawled into the baggage conveyor belt and disappeared into a secure area of the airport. Airport security responded immediately and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police were also called.
Murder charges, arson, battery and more
Incredibly, Martin still wasnât done. Once inside the secure area of the airport he walked into a break room and found a TSA Security shirt. He put the shirt on but removed his pants. Martin then ran out to the parking lot and began placing items into an American Airlines work van. When police finally tracked him down, Martin kicked one officer while yelling, âBurn bitch! Jeffreys Street! Jeffreys Street!â Martin was taken into custody and brought to University Medical Center for evaluation.
By this time, Martin’s 2-month-old daughter London Martin was pronounced dead. The baby’s mother told police she and Martin had been together for four years and they were engaged to be married. She said Martin had a history of mental health issues, but was doing good for years.
She told police that Martin hadnât eaten anything or slept for several days. Then the morning of the incident she woke up to see Martin kicking her young daughter on the floor. She picked up the baby and ran to the living room. Martin chased her down and pulled the baby from her arms. He stepped out onto the balcony holding the baby then came back in a moment later alone. The woman ran outside and was mortified to see her infant daughter on the ground. Clarence Martin Jr. is being charged with murder, arson, killing an animal, battery on an officer and resisting arrest.