Justin Martin was a 24-year-old Black man from Montgomery, Alabama, remembered by those who knew him as funny and outspoken. His life came to a violent and sudden end on the evening of August 15, 2019, just days after the local university semester had begun.
That night, a block party was underway in the 800 block of North University Drive, near the campus of Alabama State University. The gathering turned chaotic when gunfire erupted.
When the shooting stopped, Justin Martin was found dead at the scene. A second man, 21-year-old ASU student Jacquez Hall, was rushed to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Three other men were also wounded in the incident. Investigators later stated the shooting occurred during a drug transaction, and the District Attorney’s office ultimately characterized the event as a robbery.
The Montgomery Police Department’s investigation led them to two suspects. On September 24, 2019, authorities charged Anthony Thomas Jr., 27, with two counts of murder and two counts of second-degree assault. At the time of the shooting, Thomas had been out on bond for a separate 2017 murder charge. Police then began a search for a second, younger suspect.
In mid-October 2019, a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force located and arrested 16-year-old Charlie “CJ” Jackson. He was certified by a court to be tried as an adult and was charged with two counts of murder and two counts of assault in the deaths of Martin and Hall.
The case concluded in June 2024 when both men pleaded guilty. According to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office, Charlie Jackson pleaded guilty to felony murder for the deaths of both victims and to assault charges. Anthony Thomas Jr. pleaded guilty to robbery and assault. A judge then sentenced both men to 25 years in prison.
