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Murders of Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder

SOLVED1999Happy Valley, near Redding, California3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay, Redding, California, USA — location anchor for the case
Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay, Redding, California, USA — location anchor for the case — Credit: CC BY 2.0

Background Gary Matson (born April 6, 1949) and Winfield Mowder (born May 30, 1959) were a couple who had been together for 14 years and lived in Happy Valley, California, just outside Redding. Matson held a Master of Science in environmental horticulture from UC Davis and, with Mowder, founded Matson Horticulture and Florabundance Nursery, later launching the online business Plantstogo.com in 1997. Matson helped found a community garden that became the Redding Farmers Market, the Carter House Natural Science Museum (now Turtle Bay Exploration Park), and the Redding Arboretum. Mowder held a Bachelor of Science in anthropology, worked part-time at Orchard Supply Hardware, attended California State University, Chico, and spoke at local high schools as a resource for gay and straight teens.

Benjamin Matthew Williams and James Tyler Williams, brothers who ran a landscaping business from their parents' home in Palo Cedro, California, were raised in a fundamentalist Christian household and had prior contact with white supremacist literature and figures, including phone calls to Matt Hale and Alex Curtis before the murders.

The murders On the morning of July 1, 1999, Matson's father called and heard a newly recorded answering machine message, apparently made under duress, saying the couple were ill and traveling. Gary Matson's brother, Roger Matson, went to the home and found both men's nude bodies in bed, killed by multiple .22 caliber gunshot wounds; Matson was shot six times, Mowder eight times. There was no sign of forced entry or robbery, and Matson's car was later found abandoned near Yuba City.

Arrests and investigation The Williams brothers were arrested on July 7, 1999, near a Yuba City shopping mall after police traced an ammunition order placed on Matson's credit card. Searches of their residences uncovered white-supremacist literature, including material from the World Church of the Creator, .22 caliber shells, and black powder. In a pre-sentencing interview, Tyler Williams described planning and carrying out the killings with his brother, who he said had met Matson and Mowder through the Redding Farmers Market and local landscaping work.

Motive and aftermath Matthew Williams later gave media interviews admitting the murders and stating he was "obeying the law of God," citing the victims' homosexuality as justification. Investigators also linked the brothers to the June 18, 1999 arson attacks on three Sacramento-area synagogues and a July 2, 1999 arson at a medical center housing an abortion clinic; both brothers pleaded guilty to the arsons in September 2001 and were sentenced in December 2001. Matthew Williams died by suicide in his jail cell on November 17, 2002, two days after mailing a signed confession to his brother's attorney taking sole responsibility for the murders. On March 3, 2003, Tyler Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to 29 years to life, to be served after his 21-year arson sentence.

Key facts

Victims
Winfield Mowder, Gary Matson
Date
1999
Location
Happy Valley, near Redding, California
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1999-06-18

    Arson attacks on three synagogues in Sacramento, California, later linked to the Williams brothers.

  2. 1999-07-01

    Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder are shot to death in their home in Happy Valley, California.

  3. 1999-07-02

    Arson at Country Club Medical Center, which housed an abortion clinic, later linked to the Williams brothers.

  4. 1999-07-07

    Benjamin Matthew Williams and James Tyler Williams are arrested near a Yuba City shopping mall.

  5. 1999-11

    Matthew Williams begins giving media interviews admitting to the murders.

  6. 2000-06-18

    An advertisement congratulating Matthew Williams on his ordination as a minister appears in The Redding Record Searchlight.

  7. 2001-09

    The Williams brothers plead guilty to the 1999 synagogue and clinic arson attacks.

  8. 2001-12

    The brothers are sentenced for the arsons: Matthew Williams to 30 years, Tyler Williams to 21 years.

  9. 2002-06-22

    Matthew Williams and another inmate attack a prison guard with a homemade hatchet.

  10. 2002-11-15

    Matthew Williams mails a signed confession to his brother's attorney taking responsibility for the murders.

  11. 2002-11-17

    Matthew Williams is found dead in his jail cell in an apparent suicide.

  12. 2003-03-03

    Tyler Williams pleads guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and is sentenced to 29 years to life.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • James Tyler Williams

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty on March 3, 2003, to two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder, and previously pleaded guilty to related arson charges; sentenced to 29 years to life.

  • Winfield Mowder

    VICTIM

    Shot to death in his home on July 1, 1999, along with his partner Gary Matson.

  • Benjamin Matthew Williams

    CHARGED

    Charged with the first-degree murders of Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder and with arson attacks on synagogues and a clinic; died by suicide in custody in November 2002 before sentencing, having admitted the murders in media interviews and a signed confession.

  • Gary Matson

    VICTIM

    Shot to death in his home on July 1, 1999, along with his partner Winfield Mowder.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay, Redding, California, USA — location anchor for the case

    archival location

    Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay, Redding, California, USA — location anchor for the case

    Credit: CC BY 2.0 · Source

Places

Happy Valley, near Redding, California

40.6355, -122.2856

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder, a gay couple from Happy Valley near Redding, California, were shot to death in their home on July 1, 1999, by brothers Benjamin Matthew Williams and James Tyler Williams, who told investigators and media the killings were motivated by the victims' sexual orientation. Both brothers were convicted; Matthew Williams died by suicide in jail in 2002 before sentencing, and Tyler Williams pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in 2003.
Where did the murders happen?
Happy Valley, near Redding, California.
Who was convicted?
James Tyler Williams (Pleaded guilty on March 3, 2003, to two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder, and previously pleaded guilty to related arson charges; sentenced to 29 years to life.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
More cases in California

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurders of Gary Matson and Winfield MowderWikipedia · 2026-07-05
  2. OFFICIAL / AGENCYContemporaneous coverage — ciris.mt.cdcr.ca.govciris.mt.cdcr.ca.gov · 2026-07-05
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — web.redding.comweb.redding.com · 2026-07-05

Record history

First published
JUL 05, 2026
Last verified against sources
JUL 05, 2026