Tahashi Tarine Matthews, 35, was found guilty of First-Degree Murder in the death of Mr. Jonathan Nelson; Matthews was also convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. The trial began on Thursday, June 28, 2012, in courtroom 5370, in Mecklenburg County Superior Court. The Jury rendered its verdict late in the day on Thursday, July 12, 2012. The Honorable Eric L. Levinson, Superior Court Judge, imposed the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Matthews shot and killed Mr. Nelson on November 19, 2009, a little after 11:00 p.m., while Mr. Nelson was sitting in a car with his cousin, Quinton Osborne, in the parking lot of their apartment complex near the UNC Charlotte. Matthews approached the vehicle from behind, on the driver’s side, and fired two shots into the passenger compartment of the vehicle. One bullet struck Mr. Nelson in the chest. Mr. Nelson died as a result of the injuries sustained from this gunshot wound.