Bio

Damon Roshun Matthews was born on December 24, 1984, in Harris County, Texas. He grew up in the Houston area and later completed the eleventh grade. Before his arrest, he worked in fast food and labor jobs and had no prior prison record.

As a teenager, Matthews knew Esfandiar Gonzalez, a young man he had known since elementary school. Gonzalez was described as hardworking, employed full-time at a grocery store, and living with his family. Their paths crossed again in early 2003. At 18 years old, Matthews was staying at a Super 8 motel in the Sharpstown area of Houston. On March 6, 2003, he contacted Gonzalez, who told his mother he was going to meet a friend and look at car speakers. Instead, that meeting led to the crime that would place Matthews on Texas death row.

Murder Story

On March 6, 2003, Esfandiar Gonzalez picked up Damon Matthews from a Super 8 motel near Houston after cashing his paycheck. The two drove to a parking lot on Sharpview, where the meeting turned deadly. While Gonzalez sat in the driver’s seat, Matthews stood outside the passenger side window and fired seven shots into his head, killing him at the scene.

After the murder, Matthews dragged Gonzalez’s body from the car and left it in the parking lot. He then drove away in the victim’s Oldsmobile, returned to his motel room to change clothes, and later went to a nearby car wash in an attempt to clean the blood from the vehicle.

Police located Matthews around 1:00 a.m. while he was washing the car. Officers recovered the murder weapon, a Davis .380 pistol, from inside the vehicle. Investigators also found the victim’s DNA on Matthews’s clothing and shoes.

When questioned, Matthews denied responsibility and changed his story several times, blaming other people for the crime. Prosecutors argued that he had murdered Gonzalez in order to steal the car. A jury agreed and convicted him of capital murder in April 2004.

On April 20, 2004, Damon Matthews entered the Texas prison system under a sentence of death. His conviction was later upheld on appeal, and he remains on Texas death row.