Eric Dawon Matthews was born on May 3, 1974, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Not much is known about his early life, but serious issues began when he was very young. At the age of three, he was molested by one of his uncles. As he grew up, Matthews often got into trouble with the police for minor offenses. However, because he was so young, he could not be prosecuted for these crimes.

To help him, Matthews was sent to a mental hospital when he was nine years old. After that, he moved between different institutions in Michigan, Chicago, and Arizona over the next few years. By the time he was ten, Matthews had already been convicted of raping a 35-year-old staff worker at one of the hospitals where he was placed. Despite his violent behavior, he was released and returned to Indianapolis. Matthews attended Lawrence Central High School and graduated.

In June 1994, Eric Matthews worked at a pancake house in Castleton, Indiana. During this time, a 19-year-old co-worker named Kenya L. Willis disappeared. She has not been found since her vanishing. At that time, Matthews was not a suspect, and the details of her case were unclear. Around the same period, Matthews' girlfriend, Christina Darnell, moved in with him to care for their young daughter. However, Matthews began abusing Darnell, leading her to send their daughter to live with her parents. Despite her mother's warnings, Darnell chose to stay with Matthews. After not hearing from Darnell for three days, her mother reported her missing. Matthews told police that they had fought, and claimed Darnell had left.

Matthews lived in Indiana until 1996 when he moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. There, he married Lashann Sylve in 1997. On May 18, 1998, Lashann's family found her dead in their home. Her hands and feet were bound, and there were signs of choking. Neither Matthews nor their children were present. He had kidnapped his stepdaughter and stepson, traveling between states to evade capture.

The day after Lashann's murder, Matthews registered at a motel in Castleton. He called a stripper to his room, where he sexually assaulted her and then choked her into unconsciousness before fleeing. He later abducted a teenage girl and assaulted her in a field but left her alive.

On May 20, 1998, police spotted Matthews and arrested him in Illinois. When questioned, they only found his stepdaughter in his car. Matthews initially claimed he had taken his stepson to a hospital, but investigators soon discovered the boy’s body hidden in a trash bin. Under pressure, Matthews confessed to killing his stepson and later admitted to the murders of Kenya and Christina. He mentioned disposing of Christina's body but could not provide exact details on where he left it.

Matthews faced trial for his crimes. His defense lawyers argued against his confession, claiming it was forced, but the judge ruled it could be used in court. The trial was delayed several times for various legal reasons. Eventually, in 2006, Matthews pled guilty to second-degree murder in a plea deal and received life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.