Man accused of killing 2 women is in custody after 5-day manhunt, Tennessee cops say
The citywide manhunt for a man accused of killing two women has ended after a tip led police to the suspect’s location, police said.
Jair Romario Martin, 26, was taken into custody in a Tennessee apartment the morning on May 18, according to a tweet from the Knoxville Police Department.
Police said they received a tip that Martin may be inside the apartment and responded with the Knoxville Police Special Operations Squad, which arrested Martin.
Martin is accused of killing 20-year-old Heidi Johnson and 22-year-old Madison Johnson, no relation, in a South Knoxville home on May 13, police said.
Officers received a call about a domestic disturbance at the home and police believed there might have been an armed individual still inside, according to a May 13 Facebook post.
Crisis negotiators came to the home, but after failing to make contact with anyone inside, police entered the house.
Police said they found the two young women dead inside the home, later identified as Heidi Johnson and Madison Johnson.
On May 13, police identified Martin as the suspect, but did not say how he knew the women or how he was connected.
Police told WBIR they believed Martin “left the immediate area of the murders on foot.”
A manhunt for Martin began, and he was added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list on May 17, according to a tweet from the Bureau. Martin was classified as “armed and dangerous” by officials.
After five days of searching, Martin was captured. He is currently facing two counts of first-degree murder, according to police.
In an obituary for Heidi Johnson, her family said she “loved the beach, horses, hiking in nature and dancing.”
“She had the most beautiful smile and eyes that let others feel love through them,” her family said. “She was a bright light mixed with a category 5 hurricane. She was a girl who fought through the worst pain and recovered from brain surgery. Heidi acted like she did not have a care in the world, but cared very deeply for those who cared for her.”
Heidi’s older sister, Cassidy Johnson, told WATE that reality had not set in that her sister is gone.
“He took two beautiful young women away from their families,” she told WATE. “I’ve said it so many times, but it still I don’t think it has set in, the fact that this is the reality right now.”
Madison Johnson’s family has not yet spoken publicly about her death.
This story was originally published May 18, 2023 at 9:47 AM with the headline "Man accused of killing 2 women is in custody after 5-day manhunt, Tennessee cops say."
