Sixteen-year-old Jose Daniel Martinez was reported missing on March 1, 2023, after his family discovered he had not returned home the night before. Officers traced his last known whereabouts to a home on Paden Mill Trail in Lawrenceville, where behind an abandoned house they found his body; he had been killed by a gunshot wound.

Homicide detectives quickly developed a suspect, 20-year-old Dennis Calzadilla of Lilburn, who also used the name Dennis Caldazilla-Hernandez and the street name Lobo. Authorities say Calzadilla-Hernandez was arrested on felony murder and aggravated assault charges; police alleged a gang-related motive, reporting that MS-13 graffiti, including the name Lobo, was found at the abandoned site and that an undercover detective testified Calzadilla-Hernandez sought to recruit the victim’s brother. Video was reported to show an SUV belonging to the suspect’s mother leaving the scene about ten minutes after the shooting.

Calzadilla-Hernandez denied involvement and denied gang membership while acknowledging friendships with people affiliated with MS-13. He was also charged with being in a gang; a second gang-related charge was later dismissed for lack of probable cause. The victim’s mother said police had questioned her son about Calzadilla-Hernandez a week before the killing and warned him he was in danger. Does anyone have information about Jose’s last movements or the abandoned property on Paden Mill Trail?