Double slaying rattles LV neighborhood

Friday, Nov. 28, 2003 | 10:55 a.m.

Diane Rios had opened her front door at her home near Decatur and Lake Mead boulevards Thursday morning to get some fresh air when she heard gunfire.

"I just heard a 'pow pow' and I asked my husband if those were gunshots," Rios said while sitting in her living room this morning.

Rios said she heard five shots and then the sirens of Metro Police as they converged on her neighbor's home at 2000 Madeline Drive. The shots came from the white ranch house with green trim across the street.

She dialed 911, and so did the alleged gunman, Bert Matthews, 33. Police said Matthews called about 11:45 a.m. and admitted to shooting his father and his father's friend, Metro Police officials said. Police arrested Matthews and charged him with two counts of murder with a deadly weapon, Sgt. Mike Thompson said.

Matthews had been living with his 61-year-old father, Harry Matthews, for about 4 months, Rios said, adding that the other man who was killed was named Byron. The Clark County Coroner had not released the names of the victims.

Thursday afternoon, police knocked on doors in the neighborhood and told residents to remain inside and stay away from windows because a possible explosive device was found inside Matthews' house, Rios said. Officers came back to Rios' house less than an hour later and said the device had been removed.

"It was so sad because you don't expect something like that on a day when family and friends are getting together for a nice dinner," Rios said. "It didn't even feel like Thanksgiving. It was horrible."

Rios, who has lived in the neighborhood for almost four years, said she talked to relatives who arrived at the house for a Thanksgiving visit only to find Harry Matthews dead.

"They said they'd been talking to Harry on the phone 15 minutes earlier and were on their way over," Rios said. "All (Harry) wanted to do was work one more year and then retire."

Rios said Harry was an engineer, and said that family members told her that Bert Matthews had been having marital and drug problems when he moved in with his father.

She said the relatives told her Bert Matthews tried to commit suicide Saturday, and that 10 years ago he had alllegedly beaten Harry with a hammer.