The death of Livye Lewis: A party, a murder, and a man on the run
On Oct. 31, 2020, at around 5 a.m. Livye Lewis was found unresponsive in her car on the side of a road in Hemphill, Texas. Her ex-boyfriend, Matthew Edgar, said he had no memory of what happened to Lewis or how he ended up in the fetal position behind her car.
To find out what happened to Livye, investigators had to retrace her steps from the night before.
2:30 a.m. | A party turned sour
About two hours before Lewis was found in her car, she was at a friend's pre-Halloween party. Edgar, her ex-boyfriend, and his ex-wife, Montana Bockel, were also there. Lewis had broken up with Edgar a few weeks before, and according to the party's host, Bobby Ozan, Lewis and Bockel were enjoying the night while ignoring Edgar.
By 2:30 a.m., most people had already left the party except Lewis and Bockel. According to Bockel's first interview with investigators, Edgar suddenly returned to Ozan's house and overheard that Lewis was going to spend the night with Ozan.
This made Edgar so furious that he started attacking Bockel, feeling she could have stopped Lewis. He was also kicking Bockel's car.
Ozan tried to restrain Edgar, giving Bockel and Lewis a chance to escape. Bockel headed to Edgar's grandparents' home seeking refuge, but it is unclear where Lewis was headed.
Once inside Edgar's grandparents' home, Bockel began texting Edgar. Those texts would become key evidence in the case.
3:34 a.m. | Livye is "Dead"
Edgar was angry at Bockel because he said she knew about Lewis and Ozan. Bockel and Lewis had a friendly relationship.
At 3:34 a.m., Bockel texted Edgar asking where Lewis was. He responded: "Dead."
3:30 to 5 a.m. | The crime scene
The text messages indicate Edgar was at the scene at around 3:30 a.m.. A pickup truck that belonged to Edgar's cousin was parked behind Lewis' car.
"I think she pulled over to talk to him and I'll tell you why," Sabine County Sheriff's Investigator J.P. MacDonough told "48 Hours." She was just sitting there with her legs crossed. Well, it indicates to me she was not afraid … It was not a fight or flight thing where she was prepared to just bolt out the car. She was actually, to some degree, comfortable with who she was speaking with."
5:15 a.m. | A passerby calls 911
A 911 call was placed around 5:15 a.m. The caller had seen a car on the side of the road and stopped to help. She discovered a grisly scene. Lewis didn't have a pulse. She was dead from a gunshot wound to the neck.
Around 6 a.m | Evidence at the scene
When first responders arrived, they discovered Edgar on the ground. While Edgar was transported to the hospital, investigators processed the scene. They located a rifle in the nearby grass that they later linked to a bullet fragment found inside Lewis' car.
7:39 a.m. | A mother looking for answers
At around 7:30 a.m., Darci Bass arrived at the scene looking for her daughter Livye Lewis. Bass had gotten a call from a friend saying something happened to Lewis.
Bass' interaction with officers at the scene was captured on bodycam footage. She asked at least 23 times where Lewis was, but authorities seemed reluctant to tell her. Finally, once they said Lewis was sitting in her car, Bass dropped to the ground, realizing her daughter had been killed.
7:28 a.m. | Hospital interview with Matthew Edgar
While the scene investigation continued,. MacDonough met with Edgar at the hospital. He captured the entire encounter on bodycam.
A bloodied Edgar claimed he did not remember how he ended up on the ground on the side of the road. After admitting he drank an entire bottle of whiskey the night before, Edgar says the last thing he remembers is falling asleep on his porch and then waking up in the ambulance.
MacDonough informed Edgar that Lewis was found dead in her car. Edgar appears to cry but MacDonough wasn't buying his story. MacDonough arrested Matthew Edgar for Livye Lewis' murder while he was still on that hospital bed.
Around 8:15 a.m. | DNA evidence
While at the hospital MacDonough also gathered Edgar's clothing as evidence. DNA testing revealed a tiny drop of Lewis' blood on Edgar's pants that later became key evidence for prosecutors.
But Edgar's defense attorney, Rob Hughes, argued it was impossible to tell how long the blood had been there.
Jan. 4, 2022: Matthew Edgar's trial begins
Matthew Edgar was free on bail. On Jan. 4, 2022, Edgar went on trial, but he only faced the jury for two days.
On the third day of testimony, Edgar failed to show up to his own murder trial. His mother, Cindy Hogan, informed Hughes that her son was nowhere to be found.
Authorities say Edgar had let the battery on his ankle monitor die and escaped most likely on foot. The trial continued without him, and he was found guilty.
2022 | Where is Matthew Edgar?
With Edgar on the run, Bass put up wanted posters in hopes of finding her daughter's killer.
"That time was — was horrible. It was scary. And I thought that he was going to just get away and nobody was looking, and I was having to make wanted posters and go hand 'em out at the flea markets or little events that they had around town, put 'em up in the store windows with people telling me to take it down," Bass told "48 Hours."
Dec. 29, 2022 | Matthew Edgar captured
Nearly a year later, U.S. Marshals along with the Sabine County Sheriff's Office and Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens, found and arrested Edgar. It turns out the house where he was found was just yards away from his grandparents' home. Investigators later determined that the home belonged to a family friend. Edgar's mother Cindy Hogan was also found at the house when Edgar was captured.
Jan. 3, 2023 | Matthew Edgar formally sentenced
On Jan. 3, 2023, Edgar was formally sentenced to 99 years in jail with the possibility for parole after 30 years, for the murder of Livye Lewis.
