In the port city of Mobile, Alabama, a confrontation in an apartment complex parking lot on the morning of January 17, 2023, tragically cut short the life of 63-year-old Martyn Hands. The white/caucasian male was discovered in his vehicle at the 61Ninety West Apartments on Girby Road, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later succumbed to them.
Originally from Shirebrook, England, Hands had moved to the United
States in 1975 and served three years in the Army before building a career in aviation with ST Engineering. He was a beloved husband of 26 years to his wife, Kelly, and a father to three children, Paula Monaghan, Garrit Burns, and Devon Hands. Known for his positive and selfless nature, he enjoyed spending his time with family, especially swimming with his grandson Ethan, riding his Harley-Davidson with friends, and the simple pleasure of daily crossword puzzles.
The investigation into the shooting revealed that Hands had been involved in a confrontation with 19-year-old Xavier Dixon in the parking lot of the apartment complex. Following the fatal encounter, Dixon surrendered to the police and was taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and shooting into an occupied dwelling.
In April 2025, a Mobile County jury found Xavier Dixon guilty of provocation manslaughter, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and shooting into an unoccupied dwelling. The court learned that Dixon had fired 13 shots from an AR-style weapon into Martyn Hands' vehicle, with one of the bullets also striking an unoccupied apartment. In May 2025, Dixon was sentenced to a total of 50 years in prison, with concurrent sentences of 20 years for provocation manslaughter, 20 years for shooting into an occupied vehicle, and 10 years for shooting into an occupied dwelling.
