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October 21, 2014Triple murder trial on track; judge unknown
October 21, 2014
A Houma man accused of issuing threats on Facebook against Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Joe Waitz Jr. and members of his family remained jailed early this week in lieu of a $250,000 bond.
The suspect’s wife, a Lafourche Parish special education teacher, says that while she does not approve of her husband’s behavior she is certain he would harm no one and wants his bond reduced so that he can continue to care for their 3-year-old daughter while she works.
Michael J. Martin, 50, of 102 Highland Drive, was arrested at his home by Louisiana State Police Thursday after their investigation of alleged threats led to a warrant being issued by Terrebonne Parish Judge Timothy Ellender.
He was booked for the crime of terrorizing.
State Police were notified by Daryl Stewart, commander of the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office narcotics division, that he had received a complaint from Waitz.
Papers filed by the arresting officer, Master Trooper Josh Van Etta, state that Martin “had made numerous open forum postings on the World Wide Web application ‘Facebook’ regarding his personal feelings for the Judges for the 32nd Judicial District Court and his personal feelings regarding the upcoming political race involving D.A. Waitz and his opposition, Attorney Doug Greenburg.”
Martin, the filing states, commented that, “If Joe Waitz Jr.’s son, Joe Waitz III, becomes or became a lawyer and does to someone what his dad did to me; he will be another dead lawyer, too.”
That comment, coupled with the disclosure online of Waitz’s wife’s name and the statement, “Tune, stay at it, it’s coming at noon,” the report states, “caused Mr. Waitz be fearful that a crime of violence was imminent for the loss of his life and the lives of his family; therefore, he left his place of employment and his prescribed duties to gather his family from their activities and secure them at a safe location. To further secure his family, commissioned investigators with the Terrebonne Parish District Attorney’s Office were assigned to provide armed security at this secure location until this matter is resolved and Sheriff Jerry Larpenter, with the Terrebonne Parish Sheriffs Department, reassigned several commissioned uniformed sheriffs deputies to assist.”
Although he did not express suicidal ideas, Terrebonne Parish officials said, Martin was assigned to the jail’s medical unit to ensure his safety.
Mary Lou Martin, the suspect’s wife, said he has not been able to let go of resentment against lawyers who represented him in a suit against an eye doctor. The doctor, Martin has claimed, improperly treated him and allegedly caused him to be nearly blind. On his Facebook page, Martin has posted rantings about Waitz as well as attorney Joan Marlbrough.
No direct threats were made against her.
Martin was picked up at his home and offered no resistance, court papers state. He was not, according to court papers, in possession of any firearms.
Mary Lou Martin said her husband often quotes the line from William Shakespeare’s play “Henry VI,” “the first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”
The reference to Joe Waitz III, she is certain, was a product of the quote and not meant as a threat at all. Ironically, Joe Waitz III received notification last week that he had passed the Louisiana Bar exam.
Mike Martin used to work with air conditioning systems but has been non-employable due to his eye problem, Mary Lou Martin said.
Personnel at the Terrebonne Parish courthouse said Monday they are familiar with Martin and that they have at times offered him explanations of the legal system.
A determination of whether Martin will or should receive psychiatric evaluation had not been made as of Monday.
However the situation is resolved, Mary Lou Martin said, she wants her husband back home.
“I have not been able to go to work,” she said. “Someone must help take care of our daughter.”
