A newly engaged woman sought shelter in a Chinese takeout restaurant after she was viciously stabbed during a routine jog near her home in Washington D.C.
Wendy Karina Martinez, 35, was killed Tuesday in what the D.C. Metro Police Department is calling a random attack.
Police arrested 23-year-old Anthony Crawford in connection with the stabbing Thursday morning. He was reportedly charged with first-degree murder while armed.
Martinez was last seen alive in the restaurant’s security footage, which shows her stumbling into the shop and up to the counter, dripping in blood. She then collapsed in the corner, and two customers attempted to help her as they waited for an ambulance to arrive.
“There was a nurse in close proximity that tried to provide medical attention to this young woman,” Chief of Police Peter Newsham said in a statement. “But unfortunately, she lost her life.”
Martinez was an avid runner, often running miles across the city at a time, her family said in a statement.
"Wendy Karina Martinez was the light of our lives. Not only was she an avid runner, but she was a devout Christian, a wonderful friend, and a driven professional — everything you hope that a daughter and a friend could be," they said in a statement.
Martinez accepted a proposal from her new fiancé, Daniel Hincapie, just one week before her death, her family said.
"This is one of those types of unsettling incidents that sometimes happens in a large city, but this seems like a singular incident," Newsham said. “What the motive is, we don’t know.”
Police recovered a single knife at the scene, and said they do not believe the stabbing was a thwarted robbery attempt.
Authorities also released footage of the suspect walking away from the scene
The D.C. Police Department is continuing to investigate the case, and are asking anyone with more information to come forward.
Wendy Karina Martinez, 35, was killed Tuesday in what the D.C. Metro Police Department is calling a random attack.
Police arrested 23-year-old Anthony Crawford in connection with the stabbing Thursday morning. He was reportedly charged with first-degree murder while armed.
Martinez was last seen alive in the restaurant’s security footage, which shows her stumbling into the shop and up to the counter, dripping in blood. She then collapsed in the corner, and two customers attempted to help her as they waited for an ambulance to arrive.
“There was a nurse in close proximity that tried to provide medical attention to this young woman,” Chief of Police Peter Newsham said in a statement. “But unfortunately, she lost her life.”
Martinez was an avid runner, often running miles across the city at a time, her family said in a statement.
"Wendy Karina Martinez was the light of our lives. Not only was she an avid runner, but she was a devout Christian, a wonderful friend, and a driven professional — everything you hope that a daughter and a friend could be," they said in a statement.
Martinez accepted a proposal from her new fiancé, Daniel Hincapie, just one week before her death, her family said.
"This is one of those types of unsettling incidents that sometimes happens in a large city, but this seems like a singular incident," Newsham said. “What the motive is, we don’t know.”
Police recovered a single knife at the scene, and said they do not believe the stabbing was a thwarted robbery attempt.
Authorities also released footage of the suspect walking away from the scene
The D.C. Police Department is continuing to investigate the case, and are asking anyone with more information to come forward.
