Kriti Mehrotra
When Charles Wilding was first reported missing in December 2020, no one could have ever imagined that the ensuing investigation would unravel a web of conspiracies and lies. It eventually came to light that the 70-year-old had passed away inside his affluent Kingswood Road home in Los Angeles, California, sometime prior, only for two individuals to then take advantage of the fact. This case has since been explored in Netflix’s ‘Worst Neighbor Ever: The Executor,’ which underscores not only the crime but also the efforts of authorities to ensure justice by arresting Caroline Herrling and Matthew Jason Kroth.
Matthew Jason Kroth Has a History of Being on the Wrong Side of the Law
A native of Los Angeles, California, Matthew Jason Kroth (or simply Jason Kroth) reportedly fell in with the wrong crowd at an early age, resulting in him being in and out of prison almost his entire adult life. In fact, according to the show, he is what officials describe as a “career criminal” owing to his history as a “con-man, drug user, drug dealer, thief, fraudster” and more. State records back these claims by showing he has an extensive rap sheet dating back to when he was 18 years old in 1992, with his first convictions being for possession of a substance and stolen property.
Also known as Speedy, Jason had pleaded guilty to these two counts stemming from a March 31, 1992, incident, only to end up in jail again less than 6 years later when he was found in possession of a controlled substance on February 10, 1998. He was arrested again on the same charge on September 24, 1998, and October 5, 1999, and was handed down respective sentences of 16 months each in state prison. He found himself back in custody in 2003 after he was charged with possession of a controlled substance for sale, as a result of which he was given a term of 2 years in prison.
That same year, in 2003, Jason was also arrested on much more serious charges, including grand theft of a firearm, burglary, petty theft, and evading a police officer/driving in a reckless manner. All these stemmed from a single incident on February 3, 2003, for which he was eventually handed a total sentence of 4 years in prison; 2 years for grand theft and 8 months each for the other counts. He was allegedly arrested again or sent to prison again a few more times in the ensuing years, making him rather well-known among local authorities by the time 2020 rolled around.
Matthew Jason Kroth Cooperated With Investigators in the Case Involving Charles Wilding
When Jason was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in connection with Charles Wilding’s 2020 missing persons case, it was January 24, 2023. By this point, officials had already raided Caroline Herrling’s home after discovering that her claims to be the trustee of Charles’ estate were lies, and that the papers had been forged. Her inability to produce her so-called client in person so that they could verify the 70-year-old was still alive and well had also raised concerns, making her their prime suspect. So, with Jason’s past, his drug use, his being Caroline’s boyfriend, and his name appearing in an account involved in the forged trustee scheme, he was arrested.
According to records, Jason was interrogated within hours, during which he agreed to cooperate once investigators revealed they knew he and Caroline were financially benefiting from Charles’ name. He then confessed that it was in the summer of 2020 when he came across Charles’ home and learned that he lived alone while staking out affluent properties that he could potentially burglarize. As per his statements, he had decided he would later return, break in, and steal from him, but by the time he did so, the 70-year-old single man with no children or heirs had already passed away.
Instead of calling the authorities, though, Jason admitted he stole Charles’ mail, his jewelry, and some other items before contacting Caroline so they could figure out a way to steal all his assets. That’s when she forged a trust document and power-of-attorney forms to have access to their victim’s entire multi-million dollar estate, all the while pretending he was alive to avoid capture/suspicion. Jason also confessed that while he was a participant in the scheme and had made around $140,000 from at least late 2020 until January 2023, he had no idea what happened to Charles or his remains.
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Matthew Jason Kroth is Currently Incarcerated in a Federal Prison
Jason has always maintained that Charles was already dead when he broke into his home and that it was Caroline who disposed of his remains. All he knew, per his statements, was that she had initially kept their victim in his home before moving him to her place in big bags in her jeep, which she later also confessed to. In the end, in October 2023, Jason pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. It then took nearly 3 years before he was sentenced to 16¾ years (200 months) in a federal correctional facility on February 5, 2026. Therefore, today, at age 53, he is incarcerated at the medium-security Federal Correctional Institution (FCI 1) – Victorville in California, where he is expected to remain until at least his scheduled release date of May 27, 2039.
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