U.S. Department
of Justice
West Memphis Man with A Violent History Found Guilty of Unlawful Possession of Machinegun
HELENA-WEST HELENA—A West Memphis man was convicted by a federal jury of one count of unlawful possession of a machinegun. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the guilty verdict recently handed down on August 22, 2025, after a five-day jury trial in Helena-West Helena.
Martinez Alexander, Jr., 19, was originally indicted by a federal grand jury on March 7, 2024, charging him with unlawful possession of a machinegun. The jury trial began on August 18, 2025, before United States District Judge Brian S. Miller. After four days of testimony, including testimony from victims of an earlier shooting, the jury deliberated approximately 30 minutes before returning a guilty verdict.
While Alexander does not have any previous felony convictions, the trial revealed he has a violent history. At trial, testimony showed that Alexander is a known member of the Foxwood gang in West Memphis. At the time of indictment, he had four pending felony cases, including charges stemming from two separate shootings.
The evidence presented at trial revealed that on December 15, 2023, Alexander and Jaylan Atkins, 21, also of West Memphis, were involved in a drive-by shooting where an adult male and a juvenile were shot multiple times. An arrest warrant for attempted capital murder was issued for Alexander and Atkins following the shooting.
On December 31, 2023, law enforcement officers from the West Memphis Police Department observed Alexander riding in a stolen Dodge Charger and initiated a traffic stop. The Charger fled, leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase through West Memphis. The chase continued for more than five minutes before law enforcement officers used a tactical maneuver to disable the vehicle by the railroad tracks off Missouri Street.
According to testimony at trial, Atkins and the front seat passenger immediately fled on foot, but law enforcement officers noticed movement in the backseat of the stolen vehicle and observed Alexander opening the back driver’s side door and tossing a tan 9mm Glock firearm with an extended magazine and a gold machinegun conversion device (MCD), which allowed the handgun to fire fully automatic. Alexander was arrested, along with Atkins, the driver of the stolen vehicle. Further investigation revealed that the tan 9mm Glock firearm and MCD found in the possession of Alexander on December 31, 2023, was the same firearm used in the drive-by shooting on December 15, 2023, and it was equipped with a MCD on that date as well.
On December 31, 2023, Atkins was found to be in possession of a Glock 22, .40 caliber handgun, also equipped with an MCD. Atkins pleaded guilty on February 5, 2025, to possessing the machinegun and is awaiting sentencing.
Alexander and Atkins each face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and not more than three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF with assistance from the West Memphis Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ashley Bowen and Bart Dickinson.
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United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
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