State seeks death penalty against man accused of murdering Lyft driver from Palm Beach Gardens

Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read

PALM BEACH GARDENS — Prosecutors have filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against a Central Florida man accused in the death of Palm Beach Gardens Lyft driver Gary Levin.

Assistant State Attorney Brian Workman of the major crimes unit in the 19th Judicial Circuit's Fort Pierce office filed a notice with the court Thursday in the case against Mathew Scott Flores, who a grand jury in Okeechobee County indicted this month on charges of first-degree murder, robbery with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The state has the option of withdrawing the death penalty request at a later date.

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Gary Levin, 74, of Palm Beach Gardens was reported missing on Jan. 31, 2023. Levin, a driver for Lyft, failed to return from picking up a fare, family members said.
Gary Levin, 74, of Palm Beach Gardens was reported missing on Jan. 31, 2023. Levin, a driver for Lyft, failed to return from picking up a fare, family members said.

Investigators allege that Flores, 36, shot and killed Levin after requesting a ride from the Lyft ride-sharing service. Palm Beach Gardens police learned Levin was missing on Jan. 31, a day after he failed to return from a ride. Those who knew him said he picked up a fare in Delray Beach on Jan. 30 and traveled to Okeechobee before he vanished.

Investigators found Levin's body on Feb. 4 in a wooded area of northern Okeechobee County. He was 74 at the time of his death.

Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement believe Levin drove Flores from Delray Beach to Okeechobee, with Flores killing him somewhere along the way. Investigators placed him as the last Lyft passenger in Levin's vehicle.

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State troopers in North Carolina captured him on Feb. 2 west of Charlotte after he allegedly led the troopers on a multicounty chase while driving Levin's red Kia Stinger.

Authorities in Hardee County extradited Flores from North Carolina in August to faces charges in the Jan. 24 killing of Jose Carlos Martinez in Wauchula, about 50 miles southeast of Tampa.

FDLE reported Flores spent the days after that murder crisscrossing Central and South Florida, stealing multiple vehicles before ultimately making his making his way to Palm Beach County and ending up in a car with Levin.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lyft driver slaying: State seeks death penalty in Florida man's killing