Gary Matson
Encyclopedia
Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder (1959 - July 1, 1999) were a gay
couple from Redding, California
, who were murdered by white supremacist brothers Benjamin Matthew Williams and James Tyler Williams. The Williams brothers confessed killing the couple because they were gay.
, just outside of Redding
.
Matson, 50, earned a Master of Science
degree in Environmental Horticulture from UC Davis
in 1984. Afterwards, he and Mowder founded Matson Horticulture and Florabundance Nursery in Redding, Matson helped found the Redding Farmers Market, the Carter House Natural Science Museum, and the Redding Arboretum.
He was divorce
d from his wife, Marcia Howe, who was also responsible for the founding of Carter House Natural Science Museum, which eventually evolved into Turtle Bay Exploration Park and with whom he had a daughter, Clea.
Mowder, 40, held a Bachelor of Science
degree in Anthropology
, and worked part-time as an associate in Orchard Hardware Supply Garden Department, while also attending Chico State University.
Together, in 1997, Matson and Mowder founded Plantstogo.Com, an online nursery specializing in plants for hot climates. Matson helped found a community garden to help feed the hungry (called the Redding Farmers Market); Carter House, a children's natural science museum; as well as an arboretum. Mowder frequently spoke at local high schools, serving as a source of knowledge and support for both gay and straight teens.
. Neighbors said that the family was known for their fundamentalist Christianity
, and that recordings of sermons and religious music were often heard from their house.
Prior to moving to Redding, the Williamses lived in Gridley, California
, a farming community in Butte County, California
. According to neighbors, the family kept to themselves. They grew their own food, keeping chickens and an organic garden. The Williams boys, Matthew and Tyler, were homeschooled until they reached high school. The boys, both honor students, were not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities.
When the family moved to Redding, on what the father—Benjamin Williams—told neighbors were "God's orders" -- mail from militia
groups, addressed to the family, continued to arrive at their home. After the move, Matthew Williams briefly served in the Navy
. While stationed in Bremerton, Washington
, during his stint in the Navy
, Matthew met and had a daughter with Kimberly Rodgers. Rodgers, however refused to marry Williams.
Matthew attended the University of Idaho
in Moscow, Idaho
. While there he joined the charismatic Christian church, Living Faith Fellowship, in Pullman, Washington
. He also became interested in purification diets, and during a visit from his brother, coached Tyler in achieving the "perfect bowel movement" to cleanse his body
After becoming disillusioned with Living Faith Fellowship, Matthew Williams became fascinated with white supremacist and antisemitic literature he read on the Internet
. In January 1998, Williams was selling literature at a speech by Militia of Montana
founder John Trochmann. By the time Matthew moved back to California, he had developed in interest in Christian Identity
.
Matthew Williams was also a substitute teacher. He briefly taught bible class and science at a k-12 private Christian school. The students noted Matthew as extreme in his beliefs and socially awkward.
The Williams family attended a Baptist church in Palo Cedro, Ca, but left after their request to have a bi-racial couple kicked out of the church was denied.
station wagon
was gone, and police recovered it 50 miles south near Yuba City.
The couple had visited Matson's father—Oscar Matson—for dinner the previous evening. Troubled by a distressed sounding message on the couple's answering machine, and a voice that did not sound like Matson's or Mowder's, Roger Matson went to the couple's house around 1:00 p.m.
. The brothers were arrested at about 4:30p.m. on July 1, as they left a Yuba City
shopping mall. Both carried handguns. Matthew wore a bulletproof vest.
Police were alerted by a phone call made two hours after Matson and Mowder were killed, to a company in Scottsdale, Arizona
.The caller ordered ammunition and other equipment worth $2,276.09, and asked that the order be sent to a Yuba City private mailbox firm, care of Gary Matson. The order was paid for with Matson's credit card. Detectives traced the address and arrived just as the Williams brothers showed up.
Searches of the brothers' residences yielded finds of literature from white supremacist organizations, including the World Church of the Creator (now known as the Creativity Movement). Investigators examined whether the case was part of a conspiracy of hate-crime violence by members of the World Church of the Creator. The Matson and Mowder murders took place just days before World Church of the Creator associate Benjamin Nathaniel Smith
went on a shooting spree targeting racial and ethnic minorities in Illinois
and Indiana
. Unnamed federal resources were cited as having found a handwritten letter from Matthew Williams to National Alliance leader William Pierce
.
In addition, investigators also found .22 caliber shells and 13 lbs. of black powder.
area. The list was apparently compiled after the June 18 arson
attacks against three synagogue
s in Sacramento
-- Congregation B'nai Israel
, Congregation Beth Shalom, and Knesset Israel Torah Center. The fires caused over $1 million in damage.
On March 17, the brothers were charged with setting the three synagogue fires and the July 2 fire at Country Club Medical center, which housed an abortion
clinic. The charges carried of up to 235 years in prison. Matthew Williams later admitted to reporters that he was one of eight or nine men who set fire to the synagogues and the clinic.
Another male voice was heard in the background telling the man in the recording to "just calm down." Believing that the male voice did not sound like Matson or Mowder, Roger Matson drove to his brother's home and discovered the bodies.
Investigators said that, after being forced to make the recording, the couple was forced into their platform bed, which stood seven feet off the floor. The killers then stood on chairs at the foot of the bed and fired at the couple. Matson received five shots to the head and one to the back. Matson was shot seven times in the head and once in the neck.
deputy probation officer Gerald Salles, Tyler Williams recounted how he and his brother planned and carried out the murders.
Tyler Williams said he and his brother first talked about killing Matson and Mowder two weeks before the July 1, 1999 shootings, after Matthew Williams told Tyler that he'd met Matson and Mowder at the Redding Farmers Market. The couple, like Matthew Williams, had a booth. Ed Smith, who owned a Palo Cedro
nursery where Matthew Williams worked for six months, also said Matthew Williams knew Matson and described them as friends.
Tyler Williams said he did not know how his brother decided to single out the couple, but that Matthew told him they were a homosexual couple. Olin Gordon, of Olinda -- who had considered hiring the Williams brothers to do some landscaping—said that Matthew Williams had mentioned knowing Maston was homosexual.
According to Tyler, the brothers drove out to Happy Valley late on the night of June 30 or early on July 1, in a Toyota Corolla
registered to their father. Matson and Mowder were asleep in their bed. He then said that Matthew Williams did the shooting, emptying a clip from his .22 calibre semiautomatic handgun before reloading and firing five more shots. Other than labored breathing, Tyler Williams said the victims made no sound before or after the shootings. After the shooting, Matthew Williams drove away in Matson's Toyota Tercel
while Tyler Williams returned to his parents' house and went to sleep.
Tyler Williams' account did not include an explanation for the newly recorded outgoing message on the answering machine, which investigators believed the couple had been forced to make, suggesting that they were awake at time of the shooting, and not asleep as Tyler Williams claimed.
In November 1999 Matthew Williams began giving interviews to various media outlets. In an interview with The Sacramento Bee
, he admitted to the murders and said that when he killed Matson and Mowder he was "obeying the law of God." Williams said that he committed the murders because he believed their homosexuality violated God's laws, and he hoped his actions would incite more killings.
Williams insisted that his actions did not constitute murder. Because the Bible
holds that homosexuality is a sin that must be punished by death, he claimed, the responsibility lies with the victims. Williams expressed regret that more "people who claim to be Christians" didn't "have the guts" to act as he had. Facing the possibility of execution, he said he hoped to become a "Christian martyr
" whose death would inspire others to lash out against Jews
, homosexuals, and other minorities.
Todd Bethel served in the Navy
with Williams, and claimed to have been his best friend during that period. briefly rented an apartment with Williams when they both assigned to a ship in Bremerton, Washington
. Bethel, who reportedly tried to sell a videotape and photographs of Williams, said that he and others thought Williams acted too "prissy" and "sat too close to other men." Bethel asked Williams if he was gay, and said Williams denied it but seemed disturbed by the idea that he might be perceived as such.
In August 1999 Dan Martin, Williams' best friend from his time in the Living Faith Fellowship, gave an interview to The Advocate
, which described their relationship as a romantic friendship
. According to Martin, the two shared poetry
, skinny-dipped, and traded stories over campfires in the Idaho
mountains. When Williams left the church to drift into the white supremacist movement, Martin went on to become a gay rights activist.
According to Martin, shortly before the murders Williams called a mutual friend looking for Martin's home number in Moscow, Idaho
. When he was told that Martin identified as openly gay and was coordinator of an HIV
prevention group, Williams began to sob uncontrollably. Williams said he thought the revelation may have triggered the murders of Matson and Mowder.
The ad, which appeared on Father's Day
, read "Rev. Williams: May your knowledge and faith continue to grow during your current persecutions and trials." William's attorney, Frank J. O'Connor, placed the ad and paid the $107.70 bill to The Redding Record Searchlight. O'Connor and the Williams family refused to comment on the ad. The newspaper said that the advertising representative did not focus on Williams' name when the order was placed, and that the ad would not have been printed had the paper been aware of its content.
Late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, Williams jammed his cell door with a piece of cardboard, and then spread a blanket between his cell toilet and the wall, so that he would not be seen by his jailers.
On November 17, 2002 Matthew Williams was found dead in his cell, from an apparent suicide
. He bled to death from multiple self-inflicted slash wounds to his arms, legs, and neck from a disposable jail-issue razor he had modified to expose the blade, attached to a handle fashioned from a ballpoint pen, and fastened to his wrist with dental floss.
Around his neck he wore an amulet fashioned from dental floss and aluminum foil, containing various items, including two bible verses. Officials did not say which Bible verses the amulet held, but in Williams' cell a Bible was open to Psalms 22 and 23.
He was scheduled to be sentenced on December 2.
After Matthew Williams' suicide, it was reported that the Shasta County
jail was ordered by the court to make sure that Williams had no narcotic
s in his system, so he could be drug-free for a brain scan his attorneys had arranged. Williams was to be weaned off his medications, but Shasta County jail staff stopped Williams' medication abruptly.
Two days prior to committing suicide, Matthew Williams mailed a signed confession to his brother's attorney, taking full responsibility for the murders of Matson and Mowder. In the one page letter, Williams wrote that it was an "accepted fact" and he killed Matson and Mowder, whom he referred to as "the 2 perverts." He expressed concern about poisoning a jury against his brother, whose innocence he maintained.
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
couple from Redding, California
Redding, California
Redding is a city in far-Northern California. It is the county seat of Shasta County, California, USA. With a population of 89,861, according to the 2010 Census...
, who were murdered by white supremacist brothers Benjamin Matthew Williams and James Tyler Williams. The Williams brothers confessed killing the couple because they were gay.
Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder
Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder were together as a couple for 14 years. They made their home, in Happy Valley, CaliforniaHappy Valley, Plumas County, California
Happy Valley is an area in Plumas County, California, United States, is located in Grizzly Valley.-References:*-External links:*...
, just outside of Redding
Redding, California
Redding is a city in far-Northern California. It is the county seat of Shasta County, California, USA. With a population of 89,861, according to the 2010 Census...
.
Matson, 50, earned a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in Environmental Horticulture from UC Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
in 1984. Afterwards, he and Mowder founded Matson Horticulture and Florabundance Nursery in Redding, Matson helped found the Redding Farmers Market, the Carter House Natural Science Museum, and the Redding Arboretum.
He was divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d from his wife, Marcia Howe, who was also responsible for the founding of Carter House Natural Science Museum, which eventually evolved into Turtle Bay Exploration Park and with whom he had a daughter, Clea.
Mowder, 40, held a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, and worked part-time as an associate in Orchard Hardware Supply Garden Department, while also attending Chico State University.
Together, in 1997, Matson and Mowder founded Plantstogo.Com, an online nursery specializing in plants for hot climates. Matson helped found a community garden to help feed the hungry (called the Redding Farmers Market); Carter House, a children's natural science museum; as well as an arboretum. Mowder frequently spoke at local high schools, serving as a source of knowledge and support for both gay and straight teens.
The Williams Brothers
The Williams brothers, who were both known by their middle names, operated a landscaping and lawn service out of their parents' home in Palo Cedro, CaliforniaPalo Cedro, California
Palo Cedro is a census-designated place in Shasta County, California, United States. The population was 1,269 at the 2010 census, up from 1,247 at the 2000 census. It is east of Redding, California. The communities of Bella Vista , Millville , Shingletown , Oak Run , Whitmore , and Round...
. Neighbors said that the family was known for their fundamentalist Christianity
Fundamentalist Christianity
Christian fundamentalism, also known as Fundamentalist Christianity, or Fundamentalism, arose out of British and American Protestantism in the late 19th century and early 20th century among evangelical Christians...
, and that recordings of sermons and religious music were often heard from their house.
Prior to moving to Redding, the Williamses lived in Gridley, California
Gridley, California
Gridley is a city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 6,584 at the 2010 census, up from 5,382 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, a farming community in Butte County, California
Butte County, California
Butte County is a county located in the Central Valley of the US state of California, north of the state capital of Sacramento. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 220,000. The county seat is Oroville. Butte County is the "Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty."Butte County is watered by the...
. According to neighbors, the family kept to themselves. They grew their own food, keeping chickens and an organic garden. The Williams boys, Matthew and Tyler, were homeschooled until they reached high school. The boys, both honor students, were not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities.
When the family moved to Redding, on what the father—Benjamin Williams—told neighbors were "God's orders" -- mail from militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
groups, addressed to the family, continued to arrive at their home. After the move, Matthew Williams briefly served in the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. While stationed in Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, during his stint in the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, Matthew met and had a daughter with Kimberly Rodgers. Rodgers, however refused to marry Williams.
Matthew attended the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
in Moscow, Idaho
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
. While there he joined the charismatic Christian church, Living Faith Fellowship, in Pullman, Washington
Pullman, Washington
Pullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 census and 29,799 according to the 2010 census...
. He also became interested in purification diets, and during a visit from his brother, coached Tyler in achieving the "perfect bowel movement" to cleanse his body
After becoming disillusioned with Living Faith Fellowship, Matthew Williams became fascinated with white supremacist and antisemitic literature he read on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. In January 1998, Williams was selling literature at a speech by Militia of Montana
Militia of Montana
The Militia of Montana is an organized paramilitary organization founded by John Trochmann, a retired maker of snowmobile parts, of Noxon, Montana, USA. The organization formed from the remnants of the United Citizens for Justice in late 1992 in response to the standoff between agents of the...
founder John Trochmann. By the time Matthew moved back to California, he had developed in interest in Christian Identity
Christian Identity
Christian Identity is a label applied to a wide variety of loosely affiliated believers and churches with a racialized theology. Many promote a Eurocentric interpretation of Christianity.According to Chester L...
.
Matthew Williams was also a substitute teacher. He briefly taught bible class and science at a k-12 private Christian school. The students noted Matthew as extreme in his beliefs and socially awkward.
The Williams family attended a Baptist church in Palo Cedro, Ca, but left after their request to have a bi-racial couple kicked out of the church was denied.
The Discovery
Matson's and Mowder's bodies were discovered on July 1, 1999. The couple's nude bodies were found in their bed. Shell casings from a .22 caliber gun littered the floor, and the walls and ceiling were stained with blood. There was no sign of forced entry, and no apparent signs of robbery or anything being taken from the house. Matson's Toyota TercelToyota Tercel
The Tercel is a subcompact manufactured from 1978 to 2000 across five generations, in five body configurations — sized between the Corolla and the Starlet...
station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
was gone, and police recovered it 50 miles south near Yuba City.
The couple had visited Matson's father—Oscar Matson—for dinner the previous evening. Troubled by a distressed sounding message on the couple's answering machine, and a voice that did not sound like Matson's or Mowder's, Roger Matson went to the couple's house around 1:00 p.m.
The Arrests
Matthew and Tyler Williams were arrested after police found Matson's vehicle abandoned at the side of the road near Oroville, CaliforniaOroville, California
Oroville is the county seat of Butte County, California. The population was 15,506 at the 2010 census, up from 13,004 at the 2000 census...
. The brothers were arrested at about 4:30p.m. on July 1, as they left a Yuba City
Yuba City, California
Yuba City is a Northern California city, founded in 1849. It is the county seat of Sutter County, California, United States. The population was 64,925 at the 2010 census....
shopping mall. Both carried handguns. Matthew wore a bulletproof vest.
Police were alerted by a phone call made two hours after Matson and Mowder were killed, to a company in Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
.The caller ordered ammunition and other equipment worth $2,276.09, and asked that the order be sent to a Yuba City private mailbox firm, care of Gary Matson. The order was paid for with Matson's credit card. Detectives traced the address and arrived just as the Williams brothers showed up.
Searches of the brothers' residences yielded finds of literature from white supremacist organizations, including the World Church of the Creator (now known as the Creativity Movement). Investigators examined whether the case was part of a conspiracy of hate-crime violence by members of the World Church of the Creator. The Matson and Mowder murders took place just days before World Church of the Creator associate Benjamin Nathaniel Smith
Benjamin Nathaniel Smith
Benjamin Nathaniel Smith was a spree killer who targeted members of racial and ethnic minorities in random drive-by shootings in Illinois and Indiana, USA during the weekend of July 4, 1999.- Early life :...
went on a shooting spree targeting racial and ethnic minorities in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. Unnamed federal resources were cited as having found a handwritten letter from Matthew Williams to National Alliance leader William Pierce
William Luther Pierce
William Luther Pierce III was the leader of the white separatist National Alliance organization, and one of the most important ideologists of the white nationalist movement. Pierce originally worked as an assistant professor of physics at Oregon State University, before he became involved in...
.
In addition, investigators also found .22 caliber shells and 13 lbs. of black powder.
Synagogue and clinic arsons
During searches of the brothers' homes and storage utilities, authorities also found a "hit list" of prominent Jewish civic leaders in the Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
area. The list was apparently compiled after the June 18 arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
attacks against three synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s in Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
-- Congregation B'nai Israel
Congregation B'nai Israel (Sacramento, California)
Congregation B'nai Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in Sacramento, California. The congregation, which began as an Orthodox community, traces its history back to the gold rush of 1849, when Jewish settlers gathered to observe the high holy days...
, Congregation Beth Shalom, and Knesset Israel Torah Center. The fires caused over $1 million in damage.
On March 17, the brothers were charged with setting the three synagogue fires and the July 2 fire at Country Club Medical center, which housed an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
clinic. The charges carried of up to 235 years in prison. Matthew Williams later admitted to reporters that he was one of eight or nine men who set fire to the synagogues and the clinic.
The Murders
On the morning of July 1, Oscar Matson called his son, Gary, and heard a newly recorded outgoing answering machine message saying that the couple were both ill and were leaving to visit with a "specialist friend" of theirs in San Francisco for a week. Police said the man on the recording sounded distressed and seemed to be feigning illness. Detectives said they believed that the man in the recording was trying to send a message that a close acquaintance had forced him to make the recording.Another male voice was heard in the background telling the man in the recording to "just calm down." Believing that the male voice did not sound like Matson or Mowder, Roger Matson drove to his brother's home and discovered the bodies.
Investigators said that, after being forced to make the recording, the couple was forced into their platform bed, which stood seven feet off the floor. The killers then stood on chairs at the foot of the bed and fired at the couple. Matson received five shots to the head and one to the back. Matson was shot seven times in the head and once in the neck.
Tyler Williams' Account
After the brothers' arrest, authorities said they believed the brothers were acquainted with Matson and Mowder through their involvement in the local landscaping industry. In a pre-sentencing interview with Shasta CountyShasta County, California
Shasta County is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The county occupies the northern reaches of the Sacramento Valley, with portions extending into the southern reaches of the Cascade Range. As of the 2010 census, the population was 177,223, up from 163,256...
deputy probation officer Gerald Salles, Tyler Williams recounted how he and his brother planned and carried out the murders.
Tyler Williams said he and his brother first talked about killing Matson and Mowder two weeks before the July 1, 1999 shootings, after Matthew Williams told Tyler that he'd met Matson and Mowder at the Redding Farmers Market. The couple, like Matthew Williams, had a booth. Ed Smith, who owned a Palo Cedro
Palo Cedro, California
Palo Cedro is a census-designated place in Shasta County, California, United States. The population was 1,269 at the 2010 census, up from 1,247 at the 2000 census. It is east of Redding, California. The communities of Bella Vista , Millville , Shingletown , Oak Run , Whitmore , and Round...
nursery where Matthew Williams worked for six months, also said Matthew Williams knew Matson and described them as friends.
Tyler Williams said he did not know how his brother decided to single out the couple, but that Matthew told him they were a homosexual couple. Olin Gordon, of Olinda -- who had considered hiring the Williams brothers to do some landscaping—said that Matthew Williams had mentioned knowing Maston was homosexual.
According to Tyler, the brothers drove out to Happy Valley late on the night of June 30 or early on July 1, in a Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
registered to their father. Matson and Mowder were asleep in their bed. He then said that Matthew Williams did the shooting, emptying a clip from his .22 calibre semiautomatic handgun before reloading and firing five more shots. Other than labored breathing, Tyler Williams said the victims made no sound before or after the shootings. After the shooting, Matthew Williams drove away in Matson's Toyota Tercel
Toyota Tercel
The Tercel is a subcompact manufactured from 1978 to 2000 across five generations, in five body configurations — sized between the Corolla and the Starlet...
while Tyler Williams returned to his parents' house and went to sleep.
Tyler Williams' account did not include an explanation for the newly recorded outgoing message on the answering machine, which investigators believed the couple had been forced to make, suggesting that they were awake at time of the shooting, and not asleep as Tyler Williams claimed.
Motive
In his account of the murders, Tyler Williams said that his brother did not consider the killing of Matson and Mowder to be murder, but a "judgement" instead.In November 1999 Matthew Williams began giving interviews to various media outlets. In an interview with The Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its creation in 1857, the Bee has become Sacramento's largest newspaper, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 25th largest paper in the U.S...
, he admitted to the murders and said that when he killed Matson and Mowder he was "obeying the law of God." Williams said that he committed the murders because he believed their homosexuality violated God's laws, and he hoped his actions would incite more killings.
Williams insisted that his actions did not constitute murder. Because the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
holds that homosexuality is a sin that must be punished by death, he claimed, the responsibility lies with the victims. Williams expressed regret that more "people who claim to be Christians" didn't "have the guts" to act as he had. Facing the possibility of execution, he said he hoped to become a "Christian martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
" whose death would inspire others to lash out against Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, homosexuals, and other minorities.
Matthew Williams' Sexuality Questioned
In interviews with media, two friends from Matthew William's past recounted incidents concerning questions about his sexual orientation.Todd Bethel served in the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
with Williams, and claimed to have been his best friend during that period. briefly rented an apartment with Williams when they both assigned to a ship in Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
. Bethel, who reportedly tried to sell a videotape and photographs of Williams, said that he and others thought Williams acted too "prissy" and "sat too close to other men." Bethel asked Williams if he was gay, and said Williams denied it but seemed disturbed by the idea that he might be perceived as such.
In August 1999 Dan Martin, Williams' best friend from his time in the Living Faith Fellowship, gave an interview to The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
, which described their relationship as a romantic friendship
Romantic friendship
The term romantic friendship refers to both very close but non-sexual relationship and at times physical relationship between friends, often involving a degree of physical closeness beyond that which is common in modern Western societies, and may include for example holding hands, cuddling,...
. According to Martin, the two shared poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, skinny-dipped, and traded stories over campfires in the Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
mountains. When Williams left the church to drift into the white supremacist movement, Martin went on to become a gay rights activist.
According to Martin, shortly before the murders Williams called a mutual friend looking for Martin's home number in Moscow, Idaho
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
. When he was told that Martin identified as openly gay and was coordinator of an HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
prevention group, Williams began to sob uncontrollably. Williams said he thought the revelation may have triggered the murders of Matson and Mowder.
Arson Pleas
In September 2001, the brothers pleaded guilty to their arson attacks against synagogues and clinics. In December 2001, the brothers were sentenced for the arsons—Matthew Williams to 30 years, and Tyler Williams to 21 years, and were ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution.Congratulations Reverend Williams
In June 2000, Matthew Williams' court-appointed attorney paid for an advertisement that appeared in the June 18 edition of The Redding Record Searchlight, congratulating Williams on being ordained as a minister by the Christ's Covenant Church. The two-column-by-four-inch advertisement depicted a dove bearing an olive branch, and was labeled as having been placed by "the family and friends of Benjamin Matthew Williams."The ad, which appeared on Father's Day
Father's Day
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days...
, read "Rev. Williams: May your knowledge and faith continue to grow during your current persecutions and trials." William's attorney, Frank J. O'Connor, placed the ad and paid the $107.70 bill to The Redding Record Searchlight. O'Connor and the Williams family refused to comment on the ad. The newspaper said that the advertising representative did not focus on Williams' name when the order was placed, and that the ad would not have been printed had the paper been aware of its content.
Matthew Williams' Suicide
On June 22, 2002, Matthew Williams and another inmate attacked prison guard Timothy Renault with a homemade hatchet. Renault suffered a skull fracture and a broken jaw. Matthew Williams was kept in a segregation unit following the attack.Late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, Williams jammed his cell door with a piece of cardboard, and then spread a blanket between his cell toilet and the wall, so that he would not be seen by his jailers.
On November 17, 2002 Matthew Williams was found dead in his cell, from an apparent suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. He bled to death from multiple self-inflicted slash wounds to his arms, legs, and neck from a disposable jail-issue razor he had modified to expose the blade, attached to a handle fashioned from a ballpoint pen, and fastened to his wrist with dental floss.
Around his neck he wore an amulet fashioned from dental floss and aluminum foil, containing various items, including two bible verses. Officials did not say which Bible verses the amulet held, but in Williams' cell a Bible was open to Psalms 22 and 23.
He was scheduled to be sentenced on December 2.
After Matthew Williams' suicide, it was reported that the Shasta County
Shasta County, California
Shasta County is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The county occupies the northern reaches of the Sacramento Valley, with portions extending into the southern reaches of the Cascade Range. As of the 2010 census, the population was 177,223, up from 163,256...
jail was ordered by the court to make sure that Williams had no narcotic
Narcotic
The term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such as hydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely...
s in his system, so he could be drug-free for a brain scan his attorneys had arranged. Williams was to be weaned off his medications, but Shasta County jail staff stopped Williams' medication abruptly.
Two days prior to committing suicide, Matthew Williams mailed a signed confession to his brother's attorney, taking full responsibility for the murders of Matson and Mowder. In the one page letter, Williams wrote that it was an "accepted fact" and he killed Matson and Mowder, whom he referred to as "the 2 perverts." He expressed concern about poisoning a jury against his brother, whose innocence he maintained.