Martin Russell Diamond, a rape suspect whose release from jail last month led to the suspension of a Charlotte magistrate, was captured by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Friday morning. Diamond, 23, was taken into custody by officers at an apartment in the University City area. WSOC-TV, which aired video coverage of Diamond being escorted to a patrol car by CMPD officers, said the apartment is in the University Terrace complex, on Graduate Lane. The station says the arrest happened about 6:30 a.m. Members of CMPD's Violent Criminal Apprehension Team had been conducting a search in the area, which is a short distance from the UNC Charlotte campus, for several hours Friday morning. Diamond was charged last month with raping and beating his ex-girlfriend. The woman, who is 19, suffered a broken jaw and other injuries. Diamond originally was held under $105,000 bond, but Magistrate Sylvia Cherry reduced that to unsecured bond, which meant Diamond could leave jail without paying any money. Cherry came under criticism from many people in the community about that decision, and she was suspended for about a week by Chief District Court Judge Lisa Bell. But Cherry was returned to work last weekend. Family members of the victim have been especially critical of Cherry's decision to reduce bond on Diamond, and emotions in the case have risen in recent days with the posting of several comments on Diamond's Facebook page -- apparently written by the suspect. WSOC-TV said it received a message Friday morning from relatives of the victim, who reportedly wrote, "Hallelujah! I was praying for him to be caught." WSOC-TV contributed The Charlotte Observer View Larger Map
Rape Suspect Caught In University City
