A 21-year-old man, James E. Johnson, has been indicted for the murder of Marcus D. Martin, 41, which transpired in July 2024. The Davidson County Grand Jury handed down the indictment with help from evidence analyzed by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) crime lab scientists, according to an announcement from the MNPD.
On the morning of July 27, 2024, police were dispatched to Whispering Oaks Apartments after reports of a vehicle crash. They discovered Martin deceased from a gunshot wound behind the wheel of a Nissan Altima in the parking lot. He resided at the complex and had left his apartment the previous evening to visit a store. Although the precise motive remains unclear, robbery has not been ruled out as a probable cause for the murder.
Johnson was already incarcerated on separate attempted homicide charges at the time of his indictment. The day following Martin’s murder, Johnson was apprehended after reportedly shooting his brother at an apartment complex situated on Old Hickory Boulevard in Hermitage. His stint in jail continued into the following August when he was charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault. These charges stemmed from a February 14, 2023, incident where he is accused of using his SUV to ram another vehicle on I-40, near the Briley Parkway interchange, shooting into the victim’s vehicle and injuring a passenger before fleeing the scene…