How Did Daniel Lee Martin Die? Country Singer Found Dead Of Apparent Suicide At 54 Amid Sexual Assault Allegations
This is a sad situation all around.
Pasco County Sheriff's Office This week, country singer Daniel Lee Martin was found dead of an apparent suicide at 54 years old, but there seems to be a lot more to his death than that.
Martin was currently being investigated on child abuse and sexual battery allegations at the time of his death.
But how did Daniel Martin die? Here's everything that has been shared so far about what may have happened to him.
1. Martin was best known for his career in country music.
A country singer who lived in Florida, Martin had released two albums — All That I Am and On My Way To You. When he wasn't recording and releasing music, Martin was a TV host on the Sportsman Channel, hosting the shows Brotherhood Outdoors and his own special, Backstage and Backroads with Daniel Lee Martin. He and his ex-wife, Julie McQueen, also starred in a reality show called Till Death Do Us Part on CarbonTV, but the couple split in 2018.
2. How did Martin die? Police believe it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On Friday, police officers (including a SWAT team) went to Martin's residence to serve warrants for his arrest out of Tennessee when they found him dead in his home.
“Martin did not respond to attempts to make contact with him,” the Pasco County Sheriff's office said in a statement. “The PSO SWAT team was called in to assist, as Martin previously made threats of harm against himself and others. When deputies made entry to the residence, they discovered Martin deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound."
3. Martin was facing several warrants for his arrest at the time of his death.
The warrants police were serving Martin were serious, and according to the Sheriff's office, they included three counts of sexual exploitation on a minor, three counts of aggravated sexual battery, two counts of committing an aggravated sexual battery and one count of solicitation of a minor to commit rape of a child. When he died, Martin was still awaiting trial.
4. He was most recently arrested in January.
In January, Martin was arrested on charges of performing lewd acts in the presence of a young girl in November when he allegedly exposed himself to her while they were sitting on a couch, as well as showing the child pornographic images. This led to his arrest on January 27, although he was later released on a $15,000 bail.
5. Martin was also involved in similar legal trouble in 2018.
Martin's arrest in January wasn't his first brush with the law. In September 2018, he was indicted by a grand jury on charges that included three counts of soliciting the sexual exploitation of a minor, three counts of aggravated sexual battery, three counts of soliciting to commit aggravated sexual battery, two counts of indecent exposure and solicitation to commit the rape of a child. These incidents went back as far as May 2014, and Martin eventually ended up turning himself in just one month after his indictment. His trial on these charges was set for March 2020.
6. Martin was due in court the same day he was found dead.
Williamson County District Attorney Kim Helper confirmed that Martin was due to appear in court on Friday morning to find out if he would be put back into custody until his trial, before police found him dead in his home. The last person to have seen him alive was his mother at 12:30 p.m. that day.
“He did not appear. And we knew he was in Florida, so we notified the authorities in Pasco County that we had a new warrant for him to be picked up," Helper said at the time.
It can be scary when a friend or loved one is thinking about suicide. It's hard to know how a suicidal crisis feels and how to act. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) at any time for help if you or a friend is struggling.
Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.