Ryan Antonio Matthews is behind bars for murdering his 16-year-old girlfriend, Arrijana Hill, at her home in Pearland, Texas, after reportedly finding out she was four months pregnant with twins.
At around 5 p.m. on March 21, 2014, officers with the Pearland Police Department were dispatched to a home in an upscale gated community, located in the 3200 block of East Cedar Hollow Drive, after receiving a 911 call.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found Arrijana dead on the floor of her upstairs bedroom, next to her bed, with a small amount of blood beneath her body.
It appeared she had been murdered during a home invasion, as items on her dresser had been scattered about and her parents’ bedroom was in complete disarray. However, cash and valuables were left untouched.
An autopsy performed at the Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Arrijana had been stabbed and strangled to death, according to the Chronicle.
Her untimely death stunned the community, leaving many to wonder who could have killed Arrijana. Hundreds of people congregated at the CrossRoads Community Church in Pearland to pray for justice.
Two months after her death, investigators received a break in the case when DNA evidence linked Arrijana’s boyfriend to the murder. And they also learned that he was the father of her unborn children.
On the afternoon of May 13, 2014, officers arrested Matthews at Pasadena Memorial High School, where he transferred a week after Arrijana was found dead, according to Pearland Police Department Lt. Patrick Savage.
Matthews was charged as an adult with two counts of capital murder. He was booked into the Brazoria County Juvenile Detention Center and held on a $1.5 million bond.
A police investigation revealed that in December 2013, Arrijana and Matthews—both students at Dawson High School at the time—had unprotected sex.
When she missed her menstrual cycle, Arrijana told her boyfriend via text message that she could be pregnant, according to ABC 13 Eyewitness News.
In the ensuing days, authorities said Matthews told Arrijana via text message that she should begin punching herself in the stomach to cause a miscarriage.
He said, “punch you in the stomach please lol.”
She took a home pregnancy test on Feb. 26, 2013, and the results were positive.
When doctors confirmed Arrijana’s pregnancy the following day, Matthews told her that she should get an abortion “so it doesn’t f*** up our lives.”
Arrijana was on the track and volleyball teams, and she was also a part of the choir. Matthews played football (running back and wide receiver), and he had a profile on the NCSA Athletic Recruiting website.
In his personal statement, he said: “Making it to college was my most important goal, and continuing my sports career and taking my talents to the top. Education is my #1 but football is my love.”
The following month, Arrijana found out that she was pregnant with twins. When she told Matthews about it, he reportedly stated the following via text: “WTF? That’s not good news, I can’t believe this is f***ing happening to me.”
On March 21, 2014, Arrijana received a text message from Matthews asking her if they could go to her house for a sexual encounter.
She agreed.
When school let out around 2 p.m., a friend drove them to Arrijana’s house, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Matthews searched the following on his cell phone seven minutes after they arrived:
“Can you smash a baby in the womb?”
“Can you squish your baby in the womb?”
For the next 34 minutes, there was no activity on his cell phone.
At 3:02 p.m., a friend arrived to pick up Matthews, but before he left the residence, officials stated that he knocked over furniture and disarranged the home to make it appear as if it had been burglarized.
About an hour later, Arrijana’s 13-year-old brother returned home from school and found his parents’ room in “shambles,” according to reports.
He began to worry, so he yelled out to his sister, but he got no response. That’s when he called his parents. When their father arrived, he went to Arrijana’s bedroom and found her dead on the floor.
On April 23, 2015, a jury deliberated for five hours at the Brazoria County Courthouse before returning with a guilty verdict.
Matthews was sentenced to life in prison. He will be eligible for parole after 40 years.
He received credit for the 336 days he was incarcerated at the Brazoria County Jail.