Man charged with killing of 62-year-old Marine veteran claims he was being followed

CrimeJeffery Demon Matthews, 27, is charged with capital murder in the Aug. 8 shooting death of 62-year-old Randy Rivers, who was found slain when his Lexus SUV crashed into two houses in Birmingham.(Jefferson County Jail/Contributed)By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.comA Birmingham man charged in the killing of a 62-year-old U.S. Marine veteran claims he was being followed and feared for his life when he fired on the victim’s Lexus. Jeffery Demon Matthews, 27, is charged with capital murder in the Aug. 8 shooting death of Randy Rivers, who was found slain when his Lexus SUV crashed into two houses in Ensley. Matthews went before Jefferson County District Judge William Bell on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing in the case. Testimony showed that Matthews admitted to shooting at the Lexus and said he believed the victim had followed him. Matthews is represented by attorney Kittren Walker, who repeatedly pointed out during the hearing that his client thought he had been previously followed. Jefferson County Deputy District Attorney Nick Taggart said Rivers was unarmed and that there is no evidence or basis for a self-defense claim in this case.“If we accepted Mr. Walker’s argument that (Matthews) has a right to shoot someone who is following him, every person in this courtroom would be dead,” the prosecutor said, “because I’m sure at some point, we’ve made a left turn behind somebody and a right turn behind somebody that we saw yesterday.”“That doesn’t pass the muster,” Taggart said. “The simple answer is to call the police if you’re worried.”“If (the victim) presented a gun, that would be a different statement, but there was no evidence of that whatsoever,” he said. “To my knowledge, there was no weapon found inside the victim’s vehicle.”When the hearing ended, Bell ruled there was enough probable cause to send the case to a grand jury for indictment consideration. Matthews remains held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail. Authorities said there was no indication the victim and the suspect knew each other.West Precinct officers were dispatched about 12:40 p.m. that Saturday to the 1000 block of 47th Street in Ensley after the city’s gunfire detection system, Shot Spotter, alerted police to gunfire in the area.Officers arrived to find Rivers’ Lexus had struck two houses. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 1:09 p.m. Birmingham homicide Det. Abanellys Perez is the lead investigator on the case and the only witness in Wednesday’s hearing. Perez said officers who responded to the scene found a single bullet hole just above the rear bumper of Rivers’ vehicle.The victim, she said, sustained a gunshot wound to the back. The bullet traveled upwards toward his chest, causing injuries to Rivers’ lung and spinal cord.Perez said investigators recovered 5.56 shell casings and also obtained Ring camera footage from at least one resident in the area that showed the suspect’s BMW sedan driving behind the victim’s vehicle Investigators obtained the BMW’s license plate and tracked it down to Matthews’ home, which was about eight to 10 minutes away. When police went to that residence, the suspect’s mother was getting into the BMW and was detained. Officers then knocked on the door and detained Matthews when he answered. Both were taken to police headquarters where Matthews’ mother said her son had been driving the BMW that day. Perez said 5.56 shell casings were recovered from the BMW’s windshield and from inside the car. Matthews spoke with detectives. Perez said he initially gave them false information but later said he fired multiple shots at the Lexus that he said had been following him. The suspect also told investigators that Rivers did not show a gun, Perez testified.“He mentioned a vehicle had been following for days,” Perez said under questioning by Matthews’ attorney.In closing arguments, Walker said the detective gave conflicting testimony and said his client admitted to firing a .22 caliber rifle, not a 5.56. “That’s completely different,” the attorney said. Rivers’ obituary described him a loving, devoted and caring man who had a genuine love for life and for people.“He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed spending time outdoors and making memories with those he loved,” according to the tribute.Rivers was the owner and operator of Randy’s Landscaping and Lawn Service, and a diehard fan of the Dallas Cowboys and the Alabama Crimson Tide. He was a graduate of Choctaw County High School in Butler and then served in the Marine Corps for four years. He left behind three daughters and three grandchildren. Carol Robinson is a senior reporter for AL.com, covering crime, public safety and breaking news in more than 30 Alabama counties. She began her journalism career at The Birmingham News in 1986, and has covered...