The murder of Martre Coles
Green Eyed KillersIn March 2017, 19-year-old Martre Coles vanished from his home in Henrico County, Virginia. At first, his disappearance didn’t seem criminal. His friends and family believed that he might have travelled to Florida to visit a university.
But within weeks, investigators uncovered a horrifying truth; Martre had been murdered by someone living inside his own home. The case would later shock investigators because of its cruelty, careful planning and heartbreaking motive.
Matre's story is featured in the fifth season of Green Eyed Killers, available from Monday 15th June. Join us at Crime+Investigation as we unravel the details of this tragic and disturbing case.
A young man trying to move forward
Martre Coles was described as creative, quiet and talented. He loved art and wanted to build a future for himself as an artist. When he was just 16 years old, his life changed dramatically after the death of his mother from a heart attack. Family members said that he struggled emotionally after losing her.
After his mother’s death, Martre’s father, Maurice Coles, began a relationship with Denise Gay, a co-worker who eventually moved into the family home with her daughters. According to Martre’s sisters, Denise often blamed Martre for arguments and fights involving her daughters.
The situation became increasingly toxic and Martre believed that Denise was trying to drive a wedge between him and his dad.
The fake university invitation
In early 2017, Martre received the news that he’d been invited to visit Full Sail University in Florida to discuss studying art there. The opportunity could be a fresh start away from the tensions at home and he was very hopeful.
Martre left home on 12th March 2017, believing that he was heading toward a brighter future. But after that day, nobody heard from him again.
His girlfriend and sisters were immediately worried. The university emails seemed suspicious as they came from a Gmail address rather than an official school account. When family members contacted the university, they discovered that the invitation had been completely fake.
Investigators later discovered the emails had been created on Denise Gay’s computer as part of a calculated plan to lure Martre.
A horrifying discovery
On 2nd April 2017, a worker walking through a wooded area near an industrial site made a gruesome discovery. He spotted a large plastic storage container with a shoe sticking out of it. Inside was Martre’s body.
Investigators said Martre’s body had been folded tightly inside the bin. His wrists were bound up with tape and toxicology reports later revealed traces of GHB – commonly known as a date rape drug - along with trazodone, a sedative. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by asphyxiation. Prosecutors believed that he’d been drugged before being suffocated.
The child witness
Just days before Martre’s body was discovered, police officers had responded to a disturbance call at the Coles home. During the incident, Denise Gay’s 12-year-old daughter quietly told an officer, 'I saw my mom kill my stepbrother.'
At first, officers didn’t know whether to believe her. But she described seeing her mother and older sister, LaToya Gay, attacking Martre and later moving a large plastic bin through the house. Her description matched exactly how Martre’s body had been found.
Investigators realised that they were dealing with a carefully planned murder.
The motive behind the killing
Prosecutors believed Denise Gay’s motive came down to jealousy and control and that she saw Martre as a reminder of his late mother. She wanted Martre gone so she could fully control the household and strengthen her relationship with his dad.
Disturbing internet searches about suffocation and drugs similar to chloroform were found on Denise’s computer. They also found evidence that she spent weeks planning the murder.
Prosecutors also argued she manipulated her daughter, LaToya, into helping carry out the crime.
The investigation and trial
Police quietly placed the family under surveillance after Martre’s body was found, even hiding cameras near the dump site. Eventually, using camera footage and cell phone data, Denise was placed near the scene.
Evidence was presented at trial including computer records, text messages, online searches and witness testimony from Denise’s youngest daughter. The first trial ended with a deadlocked jury on the murder charge, although Denise was convicted of conspiracy.
Before the retrial, Martre’s dad handed over Denise’s phone, which contained damaging text messages discussing the location of Martre’s body. The evidence massively strengthened the prosecution’s case.
In 2018, Denise Gay was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years. Her daughter, LaToya Gay, received a 30-year prison sentence for her role in the killing.
A case that shocked investigators
The murder of Martre Coles remains one of Virginia’s most disturbing family murder cases. Investigators described it as deeply calculated and emotionally cruel because the killers used Martre’s dreams of attending art school to lure him to his death.
A devastating betrayal carried out inside the place where he should have been safest – his own home.
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