Shawn Rogers, who will face the death penalty if convicted of beating fellow inmate Ricky Martin to death at the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution, was arraigned Tuesday. Rogers, who already was serving a life sentence for armed robbery, faces new first-degree murder and kidnapping charges. The kidnapping charge stems from Rogers allegedly tying Martin up before pummeling him, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins. More than 70 inmates in the cell block where the beating took place have been interviewed as witnesses, said Assistant State Attorney Bobby Elmore, who will prosecute Rogers. A pre-trial hearing has been set for Dec. 10, according to the Santa Rosa County Clerk of Courts office. Martin was found unconscious March 30 in the cell he shared with Rogers. His hands and feet were tied with torn strips of bedsheet, and part of a bedsheet was found tied around his neck. Martin’s pants and underwear were found pulled down around his knees. Martin, 24, was determined to have suffered blunt force injury to the brain. He died April 8 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. A Santa Rosa County grand jury indicted Rogers on Sept. 6. At the time of his death, Martin had about a year left to serve for burglary, grand theft, and trafficking stolen property.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Suspect in prison killing arraigned