Joplin police seek clinching lead in year-old slaying

Jeff Lehr, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·2 min read

May 16—Kenneth Jay Matthews and a friend were on foot a year ago Tuesday in the 400 block of South Connor Avenue when occupants of a black Ford Taurus SHO opened fire on them.

Officers responding to a 6:06 p.m. report of gunshots found the two men down at the side of the street. Matthews, 46, was dead with multiple bullet wounds. His younger male companion was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.

A year later, the slaying and assault remain unsolved, even though Joplin police followed up on more than 60 leads, located the Taurus involved, processed it for evidence and developed strong suspects.

"We have persons of interest in the case," police Sgt. Luke Stahl, the lead investigator in the case, said Tuesday. "We don't know the dynamics of the situation, but we believe it was a targeted act."

The problem has been determining exactly how many people were in the Taurus, who they were and which one or more fired the shots, he said.

Matthews had no fixed address and was leading something of a transient lifestyle at the time, Stahl said. But he had a girlfriend and a foster sister in the Joplin area, and two sons who reside in another part of the state. His girlfriend, whom he planned to marry, bore his third child after his death.

Police have yet to release the name of the friend who survived the shooting, out of a concern for his safety while the crime remains under investigation, and the suspect or suspects remain at large.

A police canvass of the neighborhood immediately after the shooting turned up some video surveillance footage that captured images of the suspect vehicle. But the video does not capture the shooting itself, Stahl said.

Detectives nevertheless know they tracked down the right Ford Taurus based on the perspective and time frame of the video and witness accounts, Stahl said.

Conflicting statements from witnesses have complicated the case and, to this point, prevented investigators from seeking charges.

Stahl said it's important that they present "the best case possible" to the Jasper County prosecutor's office.

"I feel like we're one good lead away from solving it," Stahl said. "I don't know what that looks like yet. But we're very, very close."

Tip line Anyone with information regarding the fatal shooting of Kenneth Matthews and wounding of his friend are asked to contact police Sgt. Luke Stahl at 417-623-3131, extension 1885.