A 25-year-old Chicago man is facing three counts of first-degree murder for allegedly shooting to death his girlfriend, her mother and her sister after she refused to prepare him breakfast and braid his hair. The grandmother of the accused witnessed the incident which happened in June, authorities said.
According to WBBM-TV, a judge ordered the accused, John Matthews, to be held without bail when he appeared before the court on November 6 for the triple homicide.
During Friday’s bail hearing, prosecutors said Matthews’ girlfriend of two years, 24-year-old Shonta Harris, visited him at his Auburn Gresham residence on Father’s Day with their son and slept over. The morning after, Matthews asked Harris to prepare breakfast for him, but she refused, saying she was under the weather. Matthews then asked her to braid his hair but again, she declined on the same grounds. The rejection angered Matthews and an altercation ensued.
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The situation later escalated and Matthews got physical, punching Harris in the face. His grandmother, who was in the house during the altercation, attempted deescalating the situation by taking Harris outside. Prosecutors said Matthews, however, followed the pair outside and continued launching tirades at the victim despite his grandmother pleading with him to go back into the house, WBBM-TV reported.
Matthews also destroyed Harris’s phone when she attempted calling her mother, 56-year-old Frances Neal, to come over and pick her and her son up. Harris was later able to get in touch with her mother after Matthews’ grandmother allowed her to use her phone. Matthews’ tirade of abuse continued while Harris waited.
Upon arrival, Harris’ mother, who was in the company of her sister, 27-year-old Jasmine Neal, questioned Matthews as to why he punched her daughter after seeing her face injury. Matthews replied and said Harris “didn’t do s*** for him and that he hated her.”
Matthews then demanded they leave his home but prevented Harris from going back in to get their son, prosecutors said, according to WBBM-TV. This led Jasmine to call 911 to report that Matthews had assaulted her sister and was preventing them from getting the baby.
The accused, who was armed during the altercation, then drew his gun and shot Frances multiple times. He also shot Harris in the chest and Jasmine in the head when she tried fleeing the scene. Matthews then made a run for it afterward.
Following the shooting, Matthews’ grandmother called 911 to report what he had done. Harris’ mother and sister were pronounced dead at the crime scene, but Harris was transported to a local hospital for treatment. While at the medical facility, Harris also confirmed Matthews as the shooter and cited other previous occasions he had attacked her. She later succumbed to her injuries and passed away on September 5, Chicago Tribune reported. Harris’ death was ruled as a homicide.
Matthews was later arrested in Iowa in August on a murder warrant after getting involved in a car accident. He was handed over to authorities in Illinois last week.
His next court date is scheduled for November 30, according to WBBM-TV.
