Viswa Vanapalli
A loud sound in the middle of the night at a house in Minden, Nevada, led Melissa Oxley to wake up from her sleep. But to her horror, she realized that her husband, Benjamin “Ben” Oxley, was dead. NBC New’s ‘Dateline: While They Were Sleeping’ chronicles the years-long investigation into Ben’s murder and the various suspects the authorities looked at before zeroing in on the culprit. So, if you’re curious about what happened, we’ve got you covered.
How Did Ben Oxley Die?
Benjamin Robert Oxley was born in January 1972 in California. He spent much of his childhood in Hawaii, making close friends and playing soccer and football. Apart from that, Ben enjoyed watersports like surfing and jet skiing. After graduating high school, he started the next phase of his life. At the time of the incident, the 36-year-old worked as an air-conditioning repairman and was married to Melissa Oxley. Apart from that, Ben was raising his young daughter, Alyssa, from a previous relationship.
A distraught Melissa called the authorities at around 3:30 AM on February 21, 2008, reporting that her husband had been shot in their bedroom and her front door was unlocked. Once the police arrived, they located Ben in the bed he shared with her. He had a shotgun wound on his head, and it was clear the young father had been murdered. After determining no signs of forced entry, the investigation took several turns.
James Matlean Was Found Guilty of Killing Ben Oxley
At the time of the incident, Melissa had been sleeping beside Ben. Alyssa, who was six years old, was also in the house in addition to Craig, Melissa’s teenage brother. When questioned, Melissa claimed to be a sound sleeper, though the police found it hard to believe she didn’t notice a shotgun blast. As for Alyssa, the young girl remembered hearing a creak and seeing a figure in the house, yet she couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman.
The authorities grilled Melissa and Craig since shotgun ammo and weapons were found in the house. However, a gunshot residue test was negative for both, and eventually, they were ruled out as suspects. The police then learned about Ben’s frosty relationship with his ex-wife and Alyssa’s mother, Dawn Oxley. At the time of the incident, she had been living with her boyfriend, James Matlean.
Dawn told the police that she and James were at home all night, drinking and watching movies. The authorities didn’t have anything to go on at the time, and the case didn’t move forward until April 2008, when a friend of Devin, Dawn’s son from a previous relationship, came forward with some information. He told the police that on the night of February 20, 2008, he heard a drunk James talking about killing Ben with a shotgun.
Devin later stated something similar yet mentioned his mother was involved, too. At the time, Ben had custody of Alyssa, and she was to pay child support. According to Devin, his mother and James discussed getting rid of Ben to gain Alyssa’s custody. He said in court, “They wanted him dead. She wanted James Matlean to go out and kill him. They were talking about custody. When they got drunk, they went overboard. They both were under the influence.”
When the authorities spoke to Dawn, she admitted telling James she was angry with Ben but claimed she never talked about having him killed; moreover, she believed that James killed Ben to please her. The prosecution eventually struck a deal with her, giving her immunity in exchange for her testimony. In response, James claimed that Dawn orchestrated the whole thing. He told the police that she was the one who wanted Ben dead and claimed she had helped with the planning.
According to James, she drew a map of Ben’s home and was with him during the shooting. He further claimed that Dawn wanted him to kill Melissa as well, but he got scared after pulling the trigger once. Nevertheless, James pleaded guilty to the murder and was sent away for life in 2012. Since Dawn received immunity, she was never charged for her alleged involvement.
Read More: Where is Melissa Oxley Now?
