Police say Terrance Matthews, 23, fatally stabbed his ex-girlfriend’s grandmother and little brother Wednesday before holding leading them on a high-speed chase
A New Jersey man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s little brother and her grandmother before holding her hostage was arrested Thursday following a high-speed police chase, which he live-streamed on his Facebook page.
Terrance Matthews, 23, of Willingboro, New Jersey, has been charged with two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping and multiple weapon-related offenses in the Wednesday night stabbing deaths of Jennifer Vassell, 68, and Ishon ‘IJ’ Mathiln Jr., 9.
Investigators say Matthews and his ex-girlfriend, Krissida ‘Krissy’ Williams, 22, had an argument over the phone on Wednesday before he went on a killing spree inside the Eastbrook Lane home where they both lived with the two victims.
Facebook exchanges between the former couple appear to indicate they’d recently broken up.
Police said Matthews used a knife to stab Vassell and Mathiln multiple times before drowning the nine-year-old in a bathtub.
Williams was at work when the violence started. She arrived home hours later where police said Matthews confronted her suddenly after exiting a blue Ford Focus.
Investigators said Matthews stabbed Jennifer Vassell, 68, and her grandson Ishon Mathiln Jr., 9, multiple times before drowning the child in a bathtub
Detectives said Matthews argued over the phone Wednesday with his ex-girlfriend Krissida ‘Krissy’ Williams before going on a killing spree inside their home
A 2019 photo of Terrance Matthews and Krissy Williams (right)
The scene outside the Eastbrook Lane home in Willingboro, New Jersey Thursday where Matthews allegedly stabbed a 68-year-old grandmother to death and drowned her 9-year-old grandson
Officers said Matthews forced Williams inside the house where he showed the 22-year-old the bodies of her grandmother and her little brother. Vassell laid dead or dying in the utility room. Ishon laid motionless in the bathroom.
Williams told police Matthews threatened and poked her with two pocket knives as he held her hostage inside her own home throughout the evening.
She also said he was smoking K2, a synthetic marijuana product notorious for its psychoactive side effects.
Authorities claim Matthews forced Williams to leave the house with him Thursday morning. They drove to a Dunkin’ on Springside Road in Westhampton around 7am and then to a friend’s house in the Buckingham section of Willingboro.
Matthews made Williams drive to a Westhampton Wawa convenience store where she finally had a chance to escape around 10am, asking a store clerk to call police after telling the person Matthews had killed her family, according to WPVI-TV.
Matthews chased Williams around the store at knifepoint before eventually fleeing the scene in a Scion.
His unidentified mother told investigators her son called her around 1.15pm Thursday and confessed to killing Vassell and her nine-year-old grandson.
Officers discovered their bodies not long after while doing a wellness check at the home, according to the Courier-Post.
Officers pursued Matthews across multiple counties Thursday afternoon. The 23-year-old began live-streaming the chase on his Facebook page.
‘The cops on me. I got the f*ckin’ cops on me, n*gga,’ Matthews said while driving shirtless during the beginning of the one minute, 27 second clip as police sirens wail in the background.
The sound of Matthews’ engine revving can be heard throughout the encounter before he crashed the vehicle into a pole and tried fleeing on foot.
Camden County Police arrested him around 2pm.
During a separate Thursday live-stream, Matthews confessed to killing another Willingboro man named Davell ‘Vell Chapo’ Williamson (pictured), 21, who was shot in a car back in February
During an separate Facebook live-stream the same day, Matthews also confessed to killing another Willingboro man named Davell Williamson, 21, who was shot to death in a car back in February.
According to Matthews – Williamson, a local rapper who went by the nickname ‘Vell Chapo,’ was sitting in a car with another local rapper identified on Facebook as Brandon Clark, who goes by the nickname ‘YNG Finesse,’ when Matthews shot both men around 1am in the 100 block of Millbrook Drive in Willingboro on February 19.
‘N*ggas was saying about that Vell situation, n*gga, I killed Vell Chapo, mothaf*cka. I clapped that n*gga,’ Matthews said during the Thursday live-stream.
‘181 Melbrook Drive. Think about where he got clapped up at. 181 Melbrook Drive. That’s where I grew up at,’ he continued. ‘Nobody else did that sh*t. I did that sh*t. I clapped that nigga. I ran out of bullets and then the other gun jammed. That’s why Finesse lived, his f*ggot ass. He was actin’ like a b*tch though. I don’t know what type of tough sh*t he done told. That n*gga was actin’ like a straight b*tch. He was not tough at all.’
Willingboro police did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether or not Matthews is a suspect in the rapper’s murder.
Burlington County prosecutors told WPVI-TV they are investigating to see if the Matthews is connected to other crimes in the area.
Matthews is scheduled to appear in Burlington County court on Tuesday.