Inmate Beaten To Death By Cellmate

April 10, 2012

An inmate death at the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution is under investigation by the Florida Department of Corrections and the State Attorney’s Office.

Ricky D. Martin, age 24, died Sunday at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. He was found beaten March 30, the day after he arrived at Santa Rosa CI. Preliminary information indicated Martin was attacked by his cellmate, Shawn Rogers.

The incident will go to a grand jury.

Martin, who was from Collier County, was serving time for 2007 conviction on charges of grand theft, armed burglary, trafficking in stolen property and four counts of grand theft of a firearm.

Rogers is serving a life sentence for robbery with a deadly weapon and a 15-year sentence for aggravated battery with deadly weapon.

Comments

10 Responses to “Inmate Beaten To Death By Cellmate”

  1. Megan on January 11th, 2015 12:14 am

    I am so sorry for your loss. I will pray for Nikita and your little girls. With love and prayers from Wisconsin.

  2. Kayla vance on April 15th, 2014 11:41 am

    My uncle Ricky might have chosen the wrong road to turn down but him being brutally murdered was far more punishment then he deserved. No one deserves to get their life taken away from them. Shawn Rogers is a sorry piece of crap who deserves far more then the death penalty. I love you uncle Ricky, rest easy.

  3. Russ Sharbaugh on May 3rd, 2012 2:20 pm

    Ricky was not a violent criminal, he broke into an unoccupied house and stole firearms, he never hurt or threatened anyone. And the charge was burglary while armed, not armed burglary. He had a six year sentence, and was not their on a death penalty. If the guards on duty in D block had done their job, Ricky would be coming home in November. They are just as guilty as Shawn Rogers.

  4. Jonathan Dow on April 14th, 2012 10:03 am

    A good example of why you don’t become a criminal. In case you have not figured it out, all prisons are high crime areas. Armed burglary? No he was not dangerous.
    If Martin HAD NOT decided to enter a dangerous, life threatening environment such as prison by being a criminal and being convicted of grand theft, armed burglary, trafficking in stolen property and four counts of grand theft of a firearm, he would be alive today. Outside the fences you can choose your roommate. That right does not exist in a PRISON. Of course, friends and family will never accept any responsibility and have no trouble assigning blame anywhere but with the individual that put himself in that environment.
    Did not see any of these people’s outrage a few weeks ago when one prison employee was killed and another seriously injured.

  5. Old Goldie on April 12th, 2012 4:52 am

    Live by the sword, die by the sword.

  6. RJay on April 11th, 2012 10:07 pm

    There must have been a reason that inmate Martin was sent to Santa Rosa CI……..If he was in a two man cell then that would indicate that he was Close Management. Inmates do not get sent to Close Management if they have been model inmates that abide by policy and regulation. Just speculation, of course.
    The Correctional Officers (guards as you put it) can’t be everywhere all the time, and the only other individual in the cell was the one that killed inmate Martin. That is why they say the cellmate is responsible for the incident.

  7. David Huie Green on April 11th, 2012 8:29 pm

    prison wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the company you have to keep

  8. bright_sandollar on April 11th, 2012 2:04 pm

    Why in the world put such a violent criminal in the same cell as this young man – Shame on them.

  9. ashley on April 11th, 2012 1:35 pm

    this is just uncalled for ….the gaurds or someone could have stopped this ……..and it was probably over nothing that even mattered…..the person that done this needs to be dead as well……..he shouldn’t even be able to live his life sentence………DEATH PENALTY

  10. Nikita Martin on April 10th, 2012 10:31 pm

    This was uncalled for in any way shape and form. Ricky was a great father and husband and while in prison he recieved his GED and had started a college course, he was suppost to come home next year. The man who did this was already serving a life sentence so how is ANOTHER life sentence going to make any difference? Unjustifiable.