Martic Carothers

Do you know who murdered Martic LaSalle Carothers in 2007?
Martic LaSalle Carothers, a 31-year-old African-American man, was a devoted family man looking forward to the birth of his fourth child. His life was tragically cut short on the evening of October 24, 2007, in a violent confrontation that unfolded in the driveway of his own home in Gastonia, North Carolina. The sudden and brutal nature of his death left his loved ones heartbroken and a community searching for answers that remain elusive more than a decade later.

That Wednesday night, around 9:30 p.m., Martic was preparing to run errands with his wife, Miranda, and their two children. As they were about to leave their residence on Beaverbrook Drive, their plans were violently interrupted. A gray or taupe Jeep Liberty SUV pulled up to their driveway, and three men exited the vehicle, leaving a fourth person in the driver's seat. Two of the men were armed with guns.

An argument quickly broke out between Martic and the assailants. As the situation escalated, Martic's wife, who was eight months pregnant at the time, began to retreat back into the house with their children for safety. One of the men reportedly said, "You know what it is," before opening fire. Martic was shot at least twice in front of his home. The assailants then fled the scene in the Jeep Liberty.

Emergency services were called, and Martic was rushed by ambulance to what was then Gaston Memorial Hospital. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead. The Gastonia Police Department responded to the scene and launched a homicide investigation. Detectives, including then-Detective Mike Chambers, found nearly a dozen shell casings, some scattered as far as 150 feet away from where the shooting occurred, indicating the chaotic nature of the attack.

In the immediate aftermath, police gathered descriptions of the suspects. They were described as four Black males. Two were believed to have a thin build and wore their hair in dreadlocks or braids. One of these men was estimated to be about 5 feet 10 inches tall. However, investigators were unable to determine if Martic knew his attackers, and the motive, initially described as an attempted robbery, has never been definitively confirmed. The identities of the four men involved have never been established.

Years have passed, but the pain of Martic's loss remains fresh for his family. A 2014 announcement celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of his wife's parents, Odell and Ida Lowery, listed their grandchildren, including Martic Carothers Jr., Martiona Carothers, and Mariah Carothers, a testament to the young family he left behind. The child his wife was pregnant with at the time of his murder would have been their fourth.

As of January 2017, Martic Carothers' murder was one of twenty unsolved homicide cases in Gastonia that were more than five years old. The Gastonia Police Department continues to list his case as open and unsolved, seeking any information that might lead to a breakthrough. The community has been periodically reminded of the brutal crime, but no arrests have ever been made, and no suspects have been publicly named. The case stands as a painful open wound for a family still waiting for justice for a loved one who was stolen from them in a moment of senseless violence.