An Oklahoma man has been sentenced to life in prison for a second time following the brutal 2013 murder of a woman he once dated — a case that involved over 100 separate injuries inflicted during a prolonged attack that authorities say likely lasted half an hour or longer.
David Deval Martin, 40, of McIntosh County, received the life sentence after a federal jury convicted him in October 2024 for the murder of a Checotah woman, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
A Brutal Crime Retried
The case’s details are chilling. On November 7, 2013, Martin viciously beat and stabbed the victim, inflicting more than 109 separate injuries concentrated on her head and neck. Medical examiners estimated the attack continued for “20 to 30 minutes or longer,” during which the victim remained alive and likely conscious through much of her own murder, court documents revealed.
Investigators found damning physical evidence at the crime scene. Martin’s DNA was mixed with the victim’s blood on the front door of her home. His fingerprint was discovered on the handle of a metal rod used to beat her. And perhaps most tellingly, his DNA was later recovered from the steering wheel of the victim’s abandoned car.
How did Martin end up facing federal charges for a crime already prosecuted at the state level? That’s where this case intersects with a landmark Supreme Court decision.
Martin was initially convicted in 2016 by a state court jury in McIntosh County and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. However, following appellate issues and the Supreme Court’s McGirt v. Oklahoma decision regarding tribal jurisdiction, the Department of Justice was required to prosecute Martin federally in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, where a jury found him guilty last October.
Justice Officials Respond
“The defendant in this case brutally murdered his victim in cold blood,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti. “By retrying the case and securing a life sentence for the Defendant, the Department of Justice has demonstrated our commitment to seeking justice for the victims of violent crime in Indian Country,” he added.
United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma emphasized the severity of the crime and praised the investigation. “The defendant’s heinous crime was deserving of the life sentence imposed by the Court,” Wilson stated. “I am grateful for the thorough work of investigators and the skilled presentation of the evidence by colleagues from the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. Their collective efforts were vital in securing justice for the victim’s family.”
FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater didn’t mince words in his assessment of Martin, calling him a “depraved and merciless killer” who will now “spend the rest of his life in federal prison.” The sentencing “underscores the FBI’s dedication to working with our partners and achieving justice for victims of violent crimes in Indian Country,” Goodwater concluded.
End of an Era
This particular case marks a significant milestone in federal prosecutions. It represents the final indictment associated with the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section McGirt project — an initiative created in partnership with the Eastern District of Oklahoma specifically to prosecute murder cases in the wake of the Supreme Court’s McGirt v. Oklahoma decision, which recognized much of eastern Oklahoma as Native American territory.
For the victim’s family, the road to justice has been long and winding, stretching across two judicial systems and more than a decade of legal proceedings. But with Martin’s life sentence now confirmed at the federal level, they may finally find some measure of closure for a crime whose brutality still echoes through Oklahoma’s criminal justice system.
