On April 25th, 2021, black teen Derontae Martin was found dead in the attic of a white man’s house with a gunshot wound to his head.
The homeowner is a man named James Wade, who is said to be a known white supremacist.
The local coroner quickly ruled his death a suicide.
After months of his family’s questions and the completion of a second autopsy, an impaneled jury concluded that Derontae’s death was the result of violence, not suicide.
It’s been a year, and no one has been held responsible for Derontae’s death. The family wants the Department of Justice to get involved in finding out what happened to Derontae Martin.
Katie Ryan, Chief of Staff Campaign Zero, and Erica Lotts, Derontae Martin’s Mother, join us to break down this disturbing story.
APRIL 22ND 2021
Derontae had surgery on his right hand, which was his dominant hand. The procedure entailed several pins being placed in his hand, which resulted in his arm being set in a thick cast that stretched from the fingertips on his right hand up to his elbow.
APRIL 24TH 2021
Derontae was at Lanie Wade’s birthday party in a remote town at the home of her father James Wade–a man who prominently displayed a Confederate flag on his house and was known for bigoted social media posts.
APRIL 25TH 2021
At 3:01 AM, Wade called 911. He is heard calmly saying, “apparently, a guy just shot himself”. When EMTs arrived, Derontae was found dead in Wade’s home, with a gunshot wound to the head.
APRIL 25TH, 2021
Derontae’s mother learned of his death the following morning from other family members–not the police.
APRIL 27TH, 2021
Having still not heard from law enforcement directly, Derontae’s mother reached out the the sheriff’s department for information about her son’s death. She was met with hostility and given no information.
APRIL 28TH 2021
A local coroner conducted an autopsy and concluded that his death occured by suicide.
MAY 11TH 2021
The family of Derontae Martin ordered a second, independent autopsy. The findings were released and noted several inconsistencies from the initial autopsy.
MAY 2021
James Wade continued to comment on social media regarding Derontae’s death and texted someone stating that Derontae Martin was the second person to die from “suicide” at his home.
JULY 30TH 2021
Given the number of inconsistencies in the case, a jury was empanelled to review the coroner reports and review the facts. By July 30th, the jury determined that Derontae Martin’s death was the result of violence, not suicide.
APRIL 14TH 2022
James Wade was arrested, and is being held in custody, for a shooting incident he was involved in unrelated to Derontae Martin’s case.
TODAY
No one has been arrested in connection with Derontae’s death, more questions continue to surface and the Missouri Highway Patrol has shared no updates. It is time for the Department of Justice to lead a thorough investigation and find the answers his family and community deserves.
👀 Watch the 7.20.22 edition of #RolandMartinUnfiltered https://youtu.be/2Odxasmu2SM
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