Memphis Man Sentenced to Nearly 23 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Carjacking Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Tennessee Dateline: Memphis, Tennessee Date: 26 February 2024 Subjects: American Government , Crime

Memphis, TN – A federal judge recently sentenced a Memphis man to federal prison for two carjackings that occurred in February 2022. U.S. District Court Judge John T. Fowlkes sentenced Martavious Marr, 20, to 275 months in federal prison for the crimes and ordered Marr to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the sentence today. 

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to United States Attorney Ritz and information presented in court, at approximately 9:00pm on February 1, 2022, Marr approached a man at a gas station on N. Bellevue Blvd, pointed a gun at him, and demanded the keys to his 2009 Pontiac G6. The victim told Marr that the keys were already in the car. As the man turned to run inside the store, Marr shot him in the back and drove away in the victim’s car. Marr later used his social media page to sell the car for $1,225.00.

On February 13, 2022, Marr approached another man outside a bar on Poplar Avenue at approximately 3:00am. Marr pointed a gun at the victim and demanded the keys to his 2020 Dodge Journey. The victim complied and Marr drove away in the car. Marr also took the victim’s AirPods and gun, as they had been left in the car. The victim tracked the car to Marr’s place of employment and called police.

Marr was later arrested and charged with both carjackings. At the time of his arrest, Marr was carrying the second victim’s gun in his waistband.

In November 2023, Marr pled guilty to discharging a firearm during a violent crime, brandishing a firearm during a violent crime, possessing a stolen firearm, and two counts of carjacking.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Memphis Police Department.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorney Raney Irwin, who prosecuted this case, as well as law enforcement partners who investigated the case.   

For more information, please contact Public Affairs Specialist Tiffany Thomas-Turner at (901) 544-4231 or Tiffany.Turner@usdoj.gov.  Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on Twitter at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.

Updated February 26, 2024