Jury finds that Derontae Martin’s death was result of violence not suicide

Can’t just take the police department’s word for it…ever.

Source: Mint Images / Getty

Back in May, we reported on the suspicious “suicide” death of 19-year-old Derontae Martin. He was found dead in the attic of home owned by a white man who frequently posted confederate flags and other “white pride” type posts on social media. His body was discovered following a prom party held on the property. The homeowner has not be charged with a crime nor made an official suspect but we’re not sure how long that status will remain after reading the following update.

According to NBCNews, a Missouri jury has ruled that Derontae’s death was not self-inflicted as police and the county coroner we’re quick to announce. The jury consisting of a Black man, a white man, and four white women found that Derontae died as a result of violence done to him. The family is happy and hopefully that their suspicions will finally be taken seriously, according to KSDK:

“We don’t have the answers to who did it, we don’t have the answers to why they did it,” said Kimberly Robinson, Derontae Martin’s grandmother, “but one thing is for sure and two things are for certain, God ain’t through yet.”

Here’s where the crux of the argument stems from:

Dr. Russell Deidiker, the pathologist who performed the autopsy, testified that Martin died from a gunshot wound to his head that was fired at close contact. A second autopsy, commissioned by Martin’s family, determined that the gun was fired from farther away.

It will be very interesting to see how this plays out. If it’s not a suicide, then someone did it. How would Derontae’s body end up in an attic? What’s up with the homeowner and those who attended the party?

A lot of people got some ‘splaining to do.