BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — A man wanted since 2015 for the murder of his roommate in Cleveland has been taken into custody by United States Marshals.
On Friday, members of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF), joined with deputies from the Central District of Illinois to arrest 35-year-old Martino Giles in Bloomington, IL.
Giles had been wanted since 2015 by the Cleveland Division of Police for a homicide that took place three years earlier.
According to reports, Giles and his roommate were involved in a verbal altercation in their home near East 55th St. and Superior Ave on October 5, 2012. Giles is alleged to have shot and killed his roommate, DeAndre Jackson, over rent money and a watch.
Giles was not officially named as a suspect until Sept. 8, 2015, when a warrant was issued for his arrest.
“Cleveland homicide detectives worked diligently to bring charges against Giles for the senseless violence and horrible tragedy committed against Mr. Jackson," said Cleveland Division of Police Chief Wayne Drummond in a statement.
Over the past seven and a half years, the NOVFTF says it had followed leads throughout Ohio and into other states looking for Giles. Most recently, the case had been assigned to the Cold Case Division of the NOVFTF.
Giles was known to use aliases and was even arrested under a fictitious name. He was released before his true identity was known to law enforcement.
Over the past few weeks, NOVFTF investigators were able to close in on Giles and located him in an apartment in the 3000 block of Clearwater Avenue in Bloomington, Illinois. He was arrested there on Friday without incident.
“Investigators here in Cleveland never let up on this case, the victim’s family deserves justice and hopefully this arrest is the first step in the process. I would also like to thank the outstanding work from U.S. Marshal Brendan Heffner and his team in Central Illinois," U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott added.
Giles will remain in custody in Bloomington, IL until he can be extradited back to Cleveland to face the pending charges against him.