Kriti Mehrotra
While every loss of life is undeniably heartbreaking, things get even more intense when there has been the murder of a young person who essentially had most of their life ahead of them. That’s unfortunately the case of Livye Lewis, as explored in CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Blackout Murder of Livye Lewis,’ who was found dead in the early morning of Halloween 2020 at the hands of someone she knew. It initially seemed like an open-and-shut case, but because of legal proceedings as well as a fugitive situation, it wasn’t until early 2023 that the case came to a satisfactory close.
Live Lewis Was Found Dead in Her Car on the Side of a Road
At the age of 19, Livye was honestly leading her best possible life. The young girl was not only surrounded by supportive friends and family at every step of the way in life, but she was also on the path to pursuing her dream career. According to her loved ones, the teen was a kind, gentle, and helpful soul through and through, so it was no surprise to them when she decided to enroll in nursing school in the hopes of helping save lives one day. She was ambitious, brilliant, and intelligent.
But alas, everything slipped from right under her feet in the early hours of October 31, 2020, as she was found dead in her car on the side of a road in the tiny town of Hemphill, Texas. She was draped over the steering wheel of her car, with the door wide open, bloodied, and dead from a rifle shot to the neck. There was no chance of revival. It was two young girls who found her while driving by. Looking at the way she was sprawled and the way her car was slated in the grass, they initially thought she was just drunk. However, they still approached her to see if she needed assistance, just to find her dead.
It was around 6 am when the girls frantically called 911, with the authorities soon rushing to the scene and declaring her dead. As for her mother, the woman so close to her they were essentially best friends, she wasn’t informed by the police of her daughter’s passing. Instead, a friend of Livye’s called her to say they thought the teen was in trouble, just so she could arrive at the crime scene frantic and demanding answers. She couldn’t believe her daughter was suddenly gone, but she at least found some solace in the fact that the police already had their prime suspect in custody.
Livye Lewis Was Killed By Her Boyfriend
While Livye was found in her car, her boyfriend at the time, 23-year-old Matthew Edgar, was found by the police lying unconscious in a fetal position right behind the car. Beside him was his rifle and a few steps away were his boots. His face and clothes were spattered with blood, too, but he suffered absolutely no injuries. Therefore, when he tried telling the authorities that the last thing he remembered before waking up in the ambulance and being transported to a local hospital to be checked out was drinking on his house’s porch.
Matthew, a father, insisted he had no idea who killed Livye and that he definitely was not involved in the crime, but all the circumstantial evidence pointed towards him. In fact, since she was found with her legs crossed on the seat, the officers were sure she was killed while she was in the company of someone she felt comfortable with and trusted, which also pointed to Matthew. But alas, because he could not be officially indicted owing to the courts being closed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, he was soon released on bail.
Live Lewis’ Killer Was Convicted in Absentia
Although it took some time for Matthew to stand in front of a judge and jury in court, the proceedings did begin in 2022. However, things changed within three days of the trial as the young man, still out on bail, let the battery of his ankle monitor die before fleeing to avoid facing the consequences of his actions. Neverthe;les, it was soon decided the trial would continue, during which the prosecutors painted a damning case against Matthew. On the flip side, the defense tried to argue that there is actually no concrete proof because the rifle was not checked for DNA, and no fingerprints were lifted from the scene.
The defensive actually implied that Livuye was likely killed by a third individual who was close to Matthew and that he, too, was a victim, but to no avail. The jury eventually found him guilty of murder, and once he was found and captured by the authorities around 11 months later, he was sentenced to 99 years in prison, with the possibility of parole after 30 years. His sentencing hearing was scheduled in January 2023, during which both Libye’s mother as well as grandmother gave emotional impact statements to make it clear to him exactly what he did.
