On June 19, 2008, Matthew Garrett Butler and Stephen Lewis Swan were coming out of a music studio when they were robbed and killed. Matthew was a producer specializing in contemporary Christian music, recently married with a 2-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. He and his friend Stephen were leaving a recording session when they encountered teenagers James Broadnax and Demarius Cummings, who shot them multiple times, stole $2, and drove away in Stephen's vehicle. According to Matthew's mother, "The killers were just in a bind and needed a car. We live in an evil world, and things happen, but this wasn't God's plan for my son." During the sentencing phase of James's trial, while Matthew and Stephen's mothers spoke of their loss, James smiled and laughed. When asked if he felt remorseful for the murders, he responded, "Do I look like it?"