Livye Lewis, 19, of Hemphill, Texas, was found shot to death in her car on a rural roadside outside town in the early hours of October 31, 2020. A passerby called 911, and investigators found Matthew Hoy Edgar near the scene. Edgar was arrested after receiving hospital treatment.
At trial, prosecutors relied on evidence that included Edgar's rifle near the scene, ballistics evidence linking it to a bullet fragment in Lewis's car, a small amount of Lewis's blood on Edgar's clothing, and text messages they argued reflected threats and knowledge of her death. Edgar said he had been drinking and did not remember the relevant period. The defense disputed the inferences from the physical evidence and noted limits in the forensic testing.
A judge released Edgar on reduced bond in 2021 after pandemic-era court delays prevented an indictment within the statutory period. His jury trial began in Sabine County on January 24, 2022. Edgar stopped attending on January 27, and the trial continued in his absence; the jury convicted him of murder and assessed a 99-year sentence.
On October 21, 2022, the Texas Twelfth Court of Appeals dismissed Edgar's first appeal for want of jurisdiction because the sentence had not been pronounced in his presence. The court did not decide the merits and explained that the appeal timetable could begin after he was apprehended and sentenced in person.
Authorities captured Edgar near Hemphill on December 29, 2022, after roughly eleven months as a fugitive. He was sentenced in person on January 3, 2023. Texas DPS's current record documents the capture, murder conviction, and 99-year sentence.
A passerby found Livye Lewis shot to death in her car on a rural roadside near Hemphill; Matthew Edgar was found nearby and later arrested.
2021-04
A judge granted Edgar a reduced $50,000 bond after prosecutors had not indicted him within the statutory 90-day period.
2022-01-24
Edgar's murder trial began in Sabine County. He stopped attending on January 27, and the trial continued to a guilty verdict and 99-year punishment assessment in his absence.
2022-10-21
The Texas Twelfth Court of Appeals dismissed Edgar's first appeal for want of jurisdiction because sentence had not been pronounced in his presence; it did not decide the merits.
2022-12-29
U.S. Marshals and local authorities captured Edgar near Hemphill after roughly eleven months as a fugitive.
2023-01-03
Edgar was formally sentenced in person to 99 years in prison, with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
Danelle Hallan / 1 hr
The Murder of Livye Lewis & the Manhunt for Matthew Edgar | 11 Months on the Run
People
Matthew Hoy Edgar
CONVICTED
Convicted of Lewis's murder after leaving during trial, later captured and sentenced in person to 99 years; the first appeal was jurisdictionally dismissed without a merits ruling.
Livye Lewis
VICTIM
19-year-old victim; recent Hemphill High School valedictorian and nursing student at Stephen F. Austin State University
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
In 2020, 19-year-old Livye Lewis was shot to death in her car in Hemphill, Texas, and her ex-boyfriend Matthew Edgar was later convicted of her murder after fleeing partway through his trial.
Where did the murder happen?
Hemphill, Texas.
Who was convicted?
Matthew Hoy Edgar (Convicted of Lewis's murder after leaving during trial, later captured and sentenced in person to 99 years; the first appeal was jurisdictionally dismissed without a merits ruling.).
