On a summer evening in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, the life of 23-year-old Detarius Martin was tragically cut short. On June 16, 2009, Martin, a young male, was fatally shot in an encounter that would leave his family grieving and another man facing a long prison sentence. The incident unfolded at an apartment complex where an estranged relationship appears to have been the catalyst for the violent confrontation.
Detarius Martin, in the company of his brother, Chukarius Martin, had gone to the apartment of Perry E. Lucas. The two brothers were accompanying Lucas's estranged girlfriend to the residence. What transpired next resulted in gunfire, leaving Detarius Martin dead and his brother, Chukarius, wounded. The events of that night would be pieced together through a police investigation and a subsequent court case that argued the complexities of self-defense versus intentional homicide.
Following an investigation into the shooting, Perry E. Lucas was arrested and charged with the death of Detarius Martin. In October 2010, a jury convicted Lucas for the killing of Martin and the injury of his brother. During the trial, Lucas maintained that he had acted in self-defense during the confrontation at his apartment. Prosecutors, however, presented a case that led to his conviction on charges including first-degree intentional homicide.
In January 2011, Perry E. Lucas was sentenced for his role in the fatal shooting. A Dane County judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison. During the sentencing, it was noted that the judge showed a degree of leniency, citing Lucas's lack of a prior criminal record as a mitigating factor in the final judgment. The sentence brought a legal conclusion to a case that began with a fateful meeting and ended in the loss of a young man's life.
