Martin pleads innocent to murder charge

January 25, 2013

CELINA — The defendant in the murder of a Rockford woman pleaded innocent to the charge Friday morning.

Flanked by his attorneys, Daniel Charles Martin, 40, pleaded innocent to one count of murder, with a gun specification, during an arraignment hearing in Mercer County Common Pleas Court. Martin, who is being held without bond, faces the murder charge in connection with the death of Melinda Shinn.

Martin was arrested on Jan. 3 in Fort Wayne, Ind., after being on the run for close to two months following the fatal shooting in Rockford on Nov. 8. Shortly after the shooting, Martin fled and was believed to have been in Fort Wayne, where it was believed he had family. The SUV he was believed to have been driving was recovered in Fort Wayne the following day.

Mercer County deputies, as well as members of the U.S. Marshal’s Service raided a home and took Martin into custody.

A Mercer County grand jury indicted Martin on the murder count in November. If convicted, Martin faces a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.