23-05-2025
Man sentenced for 2023 deadly apartment shooting in Mobile
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A man found guilty in April 2025 for a shooting death at a Mobile apartment complex two years before was sentenced Thursday afternoon.
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It was an emotional sentencing hearing for the family of Martyn Hands.
'It's been very hard for me for two years,' Martyn's wife, Kelly Hands, said.
Xavier Lamount Dixon, 22, was sentenced to 20 years for manslaughter, 20 years for shooting into an occupied vehicle and 10 years for shooting into an unoccupied dwelling. Each of these sentences will run at the same time.
Dixon shot and killed Martyn Hands while Hands was sitting inside his vehicle at the entrance of the 61Ninety West on Girby Road apartment complex in 2023.
According to prosecutors, 13 shots were fired from an AR-style weapon into Hands' vehicle.
In the courtroom, Hands' family shared their grief.
Dixon's family apologized to the family for their loss and asked the judge for mercy on his sentencing.
Windom said he couldn't have Dixon pay 50 years in prison because he's still young and has potential.
Hands' family said they're still trying to process the loss, and they're urging others not to take their loved ones for granted.
'If you have your dad, be thankful you have your dad and tell him you love him,' Hands' stepdaughter Paula said. 'Tell him how much you care about him. Just be there with your dad every chance you get.'
'Well, I'm not his biological son, but he adopted me when I was around 12 years old,' his adopted son, Devon Hands, said. 'And my fondest memory is him showing me how to change his truck brakes, and I still have a picture of it in my phone. I never had a dad up until that point.'
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Dixon's defense team has filed a new motion for a new trial. The hearing for that motion is scheduled for July.
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