Bio 

Courtney Matthews was born in 1974 in the United States. Before the murders, he served as a young soldier stationed at Fort Campbell, a major U.S. Army base near the Kentucky-Tennessee border.

In early 1994, Matthews also worked part-time at a Taco Bell in Montgomery County, Tennessee. Reports said he had been employed there for only about ten days as a dishwasher and food handler. That short employment gave him familiarity with the restaurant’s layout, staff routines, and closing procedures.

At just 19 years old, Matthews was balancing military life with low-wage civilian work. Few warning signs from his earlier life were widely reported in public records. His name only became known nationally after one of the deadliest restaurant robbery cases in Tennessee during the 1990s.

Murder Story

On January 30, 1994, after a Taco Bell in Montgomery County had closed for the night, four employees remained inside the restaurant. Prosecutors said Courtney Matthews used his position as a worker to gain access without raising suspicion.

According to the case presented at trial, Matthews forced the employees to lie on the floor during a robbery. He then shot all four victims: Kevin Campbell, Angela Wyatt, Patricia Price, and Marcia Klopp. The restaurant safe and cash registers were emptied before he fled.

Police noted there were no signs of forced entry, which quickly focused attention on someone connected to the business. Matthews was arrested three days later and charged with four counts of murder.

The case later included allegations that another former soldier, David Housler, acted as a getaway driver and lookout. Both men were prosecuted.

In 1996, Matthews was convicted for the killings and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The murders remained one of the most notorious robbery-mass murder cases in Tennessee history.