On a tragic afternoon in Belleville, Michigan, the life of Jean Thomas Butchart, a 26-year-old white transgender man, was abruptly cut short. On August 4, 2023, while on his first day of a new job as a maintenance worker at the Van Buren Estates mobile home park, Butchart was fatally shot in the head at point-blank range. He was reportedly pulling weeds when a man approached him and fired a handgun multiple times before fleeing the scene. First responders found him unresponsive and he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The senseless act was part of a violent crime spree that terrorized the community. The man responsible, 22-year-old Matthew Torrey Tiggs Jr. of Eastpointe, was also accused of two other violent incidents in the same mobile home park. On July 28, 2023, Tiggs allegedly threatened a 45-year-old man with a handgun during an argument. Then, on August 6, 2023, while police were investigating Butchart's murder, Tiggs shot and wounded a 47-year-old man. Following this second shooting, Tiggs barricaded himself inside a nearby residence, leading to a two-hour standoff with the Western Wayne SWAT team before he was taken into custody.
Matthew Torrey Tiggs Jr. was charged with a litany of crimes, including second-degree murder for the death of Jean Thomas Butchart, assault with intent to murder for the shooting of the 47-year-old man, and felonious assault for threatening the 45-year-old man. In June 2025, Tiggs pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, assault with intent to murder, and two felony firearm charges. Consequently, several other charges, including possession of a weapon by a felon and felonious assault, were dropped. On July 9, 2025, he was sentenced to a prison term of 18 years.
Jean Thomas Butchart was remembered by his loved ones as a kind and well-loved individual with a deep appreciation for the natural world, earning him the affectionate nickname 'Nature Boy.' He held a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies and was planning to return to school to become a science teacher. His family and friends advocated for his proper identification as a transgender man after some initial confusion by officials. Described by his mother as an 'unofficial leader in the local trans community,' his death was a profound loss to those who knew him.
