Father Murders and Dismembers His 43-Year-Old Daughter
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When she was a baby, Dominique Foster’s father nearly killed her in a fit of rage. When she was 43, he murdered her and hid her body near a Dumpster.
This was far from his first murder conviction. Lawrence (“Marty”) Banks changed his name to Malik Samartaney, but he can’t change what he is inside.
Content Warning: This article refers to child abuse, child sexual abuse, spousal abuse, and violent murders.
Note: Although Malik Samartaney was known as Lawrence (“Marty”) Banks for most of his life, I’m using the name Malik Samartaney throughout this article to avoid confusion.
A Chilling Discovery
Sunday, May 12, 2019, was Mother’s Day in the United States, but now it will hold bitter memories for the family of Dominique Foster. On that date, her dismembered body was found outside a Dumpster in Baltimore. Police reported that the victim was “wrapped up and placed inside of a shopping cart.” They asked the public to help identify her, posting a picture of a tattoo found on the dead woman in hopes that someone might recognize it.
The information about the tattoo proved crucial. Family members recognized it and contacted the police. They told the police that Dominique shared an apartment with her father in the area; they also believed he had a sexual relationship with his daughter. By early June, police informed the public that they had identified Dominque’s body and identified her father as the killer.
Gruesome details emerged about the way Samartaney had disposed of his daughter’s body. She was found outside of a Dumpster, inside a shopping cart. Her body was found covered with garbage. Dominque’s head, hands, feet, and lower legs were never recovered.
It should not be surprising that Samartaney killed his daughter. He almost did so once before.
A Brutal Past
In 1975, when Dominique was a baby, her father got in an argument with her mother, Vivian Banks. He threatened to hurt the baby. Not long after, both Vivian and Samartaney’s mother heard…
