On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at approximately 12:50 a.m., patrol officers responded to the 1700 block of Barbara Circle in the Waterford Trailer Park in Bear, following concerns for the welfare of a male subject, identified as 66-year-old Joel Culpepper. Authorities were informed that Culpepper was potentially suicidal.
Officers arriving at the scene located Culpepper walking through the neighborhood and took him into custody without incident. However, upon returning to his residence, where he lived with his girlfriend, 63-year-old Maryann Martin, officers discovered Maryann unconscious. Despite their efforts to administer life-saving measures, she was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Detectives from the New Castle County Police Division’s Major Crimes Squad and Evidence Detection Squad arrived shortly thereafter to assume the investigation. Police reports later confirmed that the incident was domestic in nature and that there was no ongoing threat to the community.
Following his initial detention, Culpepper was transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation. After his release, he was taken to the New Castle County Police Headquarters, where he was formally charged with one count of Murder in the First Degree and one count of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony. He was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2 and subsequently committed to the Howard Young Correctional Facility with bail set at $1,060,000 cash. Court records indicate that Culpepper is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday.
Initial reports of the incident suggested that Maryann Martin sustained significant injuries, with sources describing the nature of the wounds as severe trauma to the head. Early accounts indicated that first responders initially believed she may have suffered a scalping injury; however, later assessments pointed to blunt force trauma as the likely cause sources tell FSU. Authorities have not yet released an official cause of death, and the investigation remains ongoing.