Daughter of slain Arlington Heights couple faces murder charges

The daughter of the Arlington Heights couple found dead in their house early Saturday was ordered held without bond Monday on charges of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors say Deborah Jane Martin, 43, repeatedly stabbed her father, David Martin, 72, and his wife, Anne Martin, 71, to death early Saturday morning, hours after the three had dinner with neighbors.

Cook County sheriff’s office

Among the unnerving details prosecutors revealed during Deborah Martin’s bond hearing was the discovery of a journal located next to bloody clothes on her bed in the family’s South Derbyshire Lane home. The journal includes multiple references — one as recent as June 2 — about killing her parents, said Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Lorna Amado-Chevlin.

From the bathroom, police recovered a Smith & Wesson knife with a 6-inch blade and a black handle. Its sheath was found in a drawer in the bedroom of Deborah Martin, who has no criminal background, Amado-Chevlin said. Officers also recovered a May 2019 receipt for the purchase of a knife that matched the description of the one found in the bathroom, she said.

A “bone-chilling call to 911” at 12:32 a.m. Saturday from Anne Martin alerted police to the tragedy unfolding on the quiet suburban street. The audio captured Anne Martin, a retired Wheeling High School teacher, moaning, gasping for air and pleading “No, Debbie,” Amado-Chevlin said.

For more on this story, read the Daily Herald: “Prosecutors: Journal details daughter’s plans to murder Arlington Heights couple”