In the early hours of July 7, 2020, in Aurora, Colorado, the life of Moses John Hamm, a 44-year-old Black / African American man, was tragically cut short. He was one of two victims in a double shooting that unfolded in the 1500 block of Beeler Street. Aurora Police Department officers responded to reports of the shooting at approximately 12:12 a.m. and discovered a man and a woman, both suffering from gunshot wounds. The woman, Crystal Black, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hamm was rushed to a nearby hospital, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly led authorities to a primary suspect, 20-year-old Master Titus Uriah Martin. Further investigation linked Martin to another fatal shooting that had occurred just two days prior, on July 5, 2020, which claimed the life of 31-year-old Percil Walls. Witnesses described Martin as a gang member, and he was also implicated in another shooting incident on the evening of July 5th in Denver's Montbello area.
Two months after the string of violent events, Master Titus Martin was apprehended by law enforcement. He faced multiple charges, including the murders of Moses John Hamm, Crystal Black, and Percil Walls. On the day his trial was set to commence, Martin pleaded guilty to the killings. He was subsequently sentenced to 60 years in prison, receiving 20 years for each of the three murders. Another individual, Dontavious Hetzel, was arrested in Georgia in February 2021 in connection with the case. Hetzel pleaded guilty to two counts of being an accessory to a felony crime and was sentenced to five years in community corrections.
