Homicide victim found behind Wheaton CVS identified as missing woman, suspect arrested

Elmer Marilan Campos-Martinez has been charged
with second degree murder

Maryland's Chief Medical Examiner has identified the deceased person found behind CVS Pharmacy at 2321 University Boulevard West on Friday as Dania Mendez de Guerra, 21, of Amherst Avenue in Wheaton. De Guerra had been missing since leaving her shift at the nearby KFC restaurant at 12:30 AM last Monday, November 6.

Elmer Marilan Campos-Martinez, 47, of Cove Lane in Rockville, has been arrested for the homicide of de Guerra, and has been charged with second-degree murder. Detectives say Campos-Martinez was in a romantic relationship with de Guerra, whose husband was the one who reported her missing. The suspect and victim both worked at the KFC, and Campos Martinez left early that night to confront de Guerra when she left the restaurant around 12:30 AM.

Campos-Martinez acknowledged assaulting de Guerra, but not killing her. He punched her three times after she told him she wanted out of the relationship, he told detectives, and threw her to the ground. De Guerra struck her head on the ground, Campos-Martinez claimed, and was unresponsive. He said he then stole her cellphone and purse, and fled in a taxi. He later discarded the phone and purse in a dumpster, the location of which was not disclosed by police.

On Friday, November 10, de Guerra’s body was located behind the CVS. Her cell phone and purse were missing. There appeared to be trauma to her body.  The victim’s body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, who ruled that the death was a homicide by multiple blunt force trauma and asphyxia.

Campos-Martinez remains in Montgomery County jail, and is being held without bond. Police did not comment on his immigration status. Other missing details raise additional questions.

A substantial portion of the police account sounds like the what the defendant's attorney might argue in court, and it's notable that in a he-said-she-said situation where only the suspect can testify, a lesser charge of second-degree murder is being entered. How could it be established on simply the suspect's account that it was not premeditated murder? Furthermore, the official account does not explain why, if the victim fell in a different (and yet-unidentified) location during the alleged argument and assault, she was not found until Friday afternoon.

Hopefully the answers will become clear as the investigation continues. Anyone with information regarding this homicide is asked to call the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.