Sandusky, OH: Coroner: Amanda Gibson was strangled

BY MELISSA TOPEY
Friday, June 11, 2010 2:12 AM EDT

SANDUSKY

A 25-year-old Sandusky woman found dead Tuesday near a Groton Township pond was strangled.

The man accused of killing Amanda Gibson -- Michael G. Martin, 53, of Sandusky -- knewher for a year and a half, as the two were regulars at a Tiffin Avenue bar.

A fisherman stumbled across Gibson's body Tuesday evening on a path leading to a Smith Road pond, not far from the Norfolk Southern Railroad yards on Ohio 4.

Gibson was found fully clothed, lying face down among the weeds and smashed grass.

Erie County Sheriff's deputies arrested Martin at his Second Street home at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. He was charged with murder and is being held without bail at the Erie County jail.

Preliminary autopsy results indicate Gibson died about 24 to 48 hours prior to being found, Erie County Coroner Brian Baxter said.

Not wanting to compromise the ongoing investigation, Baxter declined to elaborate on how Gibson was strangled -- he would not say if she was strangled by human hands, or if an object such as a rope or cord was used.

There were contusions on Gibson's head, but no initial indications of a sexual assault on her body, Baxter said.

Martin and Gibson frequented Bud's Place, a Tiffin Avenue bar. News of her death and Martin's arrest left patrons stunned this week.

"He was polite when in here," bartender Sandy Broker said of Martin. "I'm at a loss for words. Everybody coming in is at a loss for words."

Martin dropped by the bar sporadically for years, grabbing a coffee in the morning and a few beers at night, Broker said.

Gibson, meanwhile, started visiting the bar about a year and a half ago. She'd grab a couple of drinks every so often, Broker said.

And sometimes, Gibson and Martin were in the bar at the same time, joking around or making small talk, Broker said.

"They were friends," she said.

They were never seen entering or leaving the bar together. The last time Broker remembered the two visiting Bud's Place was June 1 -- a week before Gibson's body was found.

"(Gibson) has touched so many lives in a positive way," Broker said.

Broker said she can't reconcile Martin, the bar patron, with the Martin she's reading about in the newspaper.

While some remember Martin as a nice guy, police records offer a conflicting view.

In December 2001, Martin's wife, Jenny Martin, accused him of physical and mental abuse, Sandusky police reports show.

Jenny told Sandusky police that Martin was receiving counseling for anger management issues. She said Martin told one of her relatives, "If she shows up tomorrow I'll shoot her," a police report said.

Police stood watch in that incident as Jenny gathered personal items from the home and loaded them into her car. She left the scene and charges were never filed.

Broker said Martin is no longer married, but that couldn't be immediately confirmed.

Martin was never charged criminally in the handful of incidents where police were called. He received minor traffic citations on occasion, such as a speeding ticket in June 2009 when he rode his 2005 Harley Davidson down the Milan Road overpass.

Tina Mitchell and Helen Ebinger -- Gibson's neighbors at the Lawrence Street apartment where she lived -- said they never saw Martin before.

Martin's neighbor, Sharron Stein, said it was last summer when she first met Martin, a motorcycle enthusiast.

Stein said she saw Martin at motorcycle events, like last year's Ohio Bike Week and the bikers memorial at the American Legion on Ohio 4.

Ohio Bike Week was another apparent common interest Martin and Gibson shared. Gibson recently wrote on her Facebook page that she was excited about this year's Ohio Bike Week.

On Thursday, Stein looked across the street at Martin's home at 903 Second St. a yellow house, the windows covered with POW/MIA flags. An American flag covers the window on the front door.

Stein and other neighbors said they rarely saw anyone come or go at Martin's home.

"I thought he lived there part time," said Kristan Spicer, a neighbor.

Martin is scheduled to appear this morning in Erie County Municipal Court.