Woman held on murder charges in 2024 death of Elyria man

An Elyria woman has been charged with murder and felonious assault following an Elyria police investigation into the death of an Elyria man in February 2024.Jennifer G. Martin, 44, whose last known address in court records is Bridge Pointe Commons on East Bridge Street in Elyria, was being held in the Lorain County Jail on $200,000 bond, according to jail records. Booked into the jail just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, she was being held on murder and felonious assault charges related to the death of Daniel "Danny" Powers, 70, and on two contempt of court warrants, according to jail records. Lorain County Common Pleas Court records show that a secret indictment was filed Sept. 5 charging Martin with murder and felonious assault, both felonies. Martin has yet to have her first appearance in court. The case has not been assigned to a judge and no attorney is listed for Martin in court records. In a news release, Elyria Police Capt. Bill Lantz said officers responded Feb. 17 to a report of an unresponsive male at a residence in the 100 block of Ashwood Avenue. Powers died of his injuries at University Hospitals Main Campus in Cleveland on Feb. 25, according to Elyria police and his published obituary. A truck driver, Powers was a Mansfield native who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, according to his obituary. Because Powers died in Cuyahoga County, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy and determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma. Powers' death was ruled a homicide. Lantz said detectives collaborated with the Medical Examiner's Office on an investigation involving multiple interviews, forensic analysis, medical records and search warrants. It led them to charge Martin with murder and felonious assault. Martin was tracked to California and, with the help of law enforcement there, was arrested in September and extradited to Lorain County to face charges, Lantz said. "The Elyria Police Department remains committed to seeking justice for victims and holding offenders accountable for their actions," Lantz wrote in the news release. Martin also was wanted on a warrant for failure to appear in Elyria Municipal Court on Feb. 28, for a hearing on a felony drug possession charge and a misdemeanor drug paraphernalia possession charge, according to court records. She pleaded guilty to and was convicted of misdemeanor disorderly conduct in Elyria Municipal Court in 2022, according to court records.Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.