On the evening of June 1, 2024, Martez Johnson Corey, a 26-year-old Black man known to some as "1 Tez" or "Marty," was sitting on the front porch of his cousin's home in Hampton, Virginia. His life was cut short in a sudden burst of gunfire that would lead investigators on a nearly year-long search for his killers.
Just after 7:30 p.m., the Hampton Police Division received a call about a shooting in the 500 block of Old Buckroe Road.
When officers arrived, they found Martez outside with life-threatening gunshot wounds. First responders attempted life-saving measures, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation later revealed that some of the bullets had penetrated the house, which was occupied by several teenagers at the time of the shooting.
The Hampton Police Division's Major Crimes Unit took charge of the homicide investigation. For months, the case progressed as authorities sought those responsible. After nearly 10 months on the run, two suspects were located. In March 2025, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, police arrested two brothers from Hampton: J.C. Alexander Butler, then 25, and Re'al Butler, then 24.
The Butler brothers were charged in connection with Martez's death and stood trial in Hampton Circuit Court. After a four-day trial prosecuted by the Virginia Attorney General’s Office in coordination with local prosecutors, a jury returned its verdict in March 2026. Both J.C. and Re'al Butler were found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, use of a firearm in a felony, and maliciously shooting into an occupied building. As of that month, sentencing for both men was scheduled for June 12, 2026.
