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REIDSVILLE — When police searched for the man they say killed David James Martin, they didn’t have to look far. Mark Edwin Wilson lives just two doors down on the same street.

Wilson, 36, of 117-B S. Franklin St., was arrested Tuesday night and charged with first-degree murder in Martin’s death. Martin, 58, was stabbed twice and his throat was slit, according to court documents.

Wilson was being held without bond Wednesday in the Rockingham County jail.

The arrest came just a week after Martin’s death, and police described Wilson as a person of interest from almost day one. Police Capt. Guilio Dattero would not comment on a possible motive, saying police believe it was “one of a couple of things.”

Police also said they found items belonging to Wilson that link him to the crime.

Martin, who had lived at 123 S. Franklin St. for years, was found dead by a friend who stopped by to check on him after he failed to show up for work on July 23.

Martin was lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen and his friend called police, according to information in court documents.

Police believe Martin was killed between late July 22 and early July 23.

In a search warrant application, police Lt. Wendell Neville outlined what police found once they arrived at Martin’s home:

Police Lt. Ken Hanks and Steve Rich of EMS entered the house and Rich confirmed that Martin was dead.

Hanks saw two stab wounds in Martin’s chest and noticed that his throat had been cut.

There were bloody footprints in the kitchen, living room, den and on the front porch. Officials also found blood on the kitchen bar, door and other places.

Neville said investigators are awaiting lab reports on that evidence.

Police aren’t discussing motives, but Dattero said investigators believe that Martin and Wilson were at least acquainted, given that they lived so close to each other.

Martin’s wife, Jeannine, said she doesn’t recall her husband ever mentioning Wilson. She said her husband was a quiet, very friendly man and a hard worker.

“I can’t imagine why (the killer) would do something like this,” said Jeannine Martin, who returned Wednesday from a memorial service in Ohio for her husband. "There is no sense to be made of something like this.”

The Martins had been separated for 11 years, and Jeannine Martin now lives in Greensboro. But she said she remained close friends with her husband, with whom she shared a daughter. They had dinner together weekly and spoke several times a week.

She said David Martin had been excited over his recent purchase of a sailboat.“He never got it into the water,” Jeannine Martin said.

Family and friends will gather for another memorial service at 7 p.m. Friday at Wilkerson Funeral Home Chapel.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126, or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com