Matos took the stand at his “spectacular” trial to defend himself, claiming that “paranoia” and self-defense were what caused the savage quadruple homicide.
He also claimed that the violence began when he was attacked by Megan’s new lover, Nicholas Leonard - an allegation the jury refused to believe, convicting him of the murders.
This article will further delve into the trial and conviction of Adam Matos for A&E’s season 2 episode 2 of Taking the Stand. The synopsis states:
According to reports, he continues to serve four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole at the Wakulla Correctional Institution in Wakulla County, Florida.
Florida father Adam Matos, now convicted in the quadruple murder case, claimed he acted in self-defense
Adam Matos was found guilty of killing four people in Hudson in August 2014 during his trial in November 2017. He was convicted on all four of the first-degree murder charges. Throughout the trial, his defense worked to convince the jurors that he committed the murders in an act of self-defense when Leonard attacked him.
Matos testified in his own defense, claiming that self-defense and “paranoia” were the driving factors behind the horrific quadruple killing and carefully recounted what happened on the day he killed his ex-girlfriend, her parents, and her boyfriend. He also claimed that he hated what he did and that he loved Megan Brown, the mother of their four-year-old son Tristan.
Matos claimed that Nicholas Leonard, Megan’s new boyfriend, assaulted him and that this was when the violence commenced. He alleged that Leonard strangled him and held a pistol to his chest inside this Hudson house and that Greg Brown, Megan’s father, entered the room with a gun.
Matos confessed to using a knife to stab Leonard during the altercation. He later claimed that he shot Brown because he believed he was going to kill both of them. He then fired a shot close to where Megan Brown was hiding, and the shot bounced and struck her in the eye.
He further testified that he snapped when he learned he had killed Megan and used a hammer to kill the injured Leonard. He allegedly used the same hammer to attack Margaret Brown, Megan’s mother, when she returned from work.
Matos claimed that by then, Paranoia had taken over him and he “hit her over the head a few times” without “realizing that she probably wasn’t trying to kill me.”
In the days that followed the killings, Matos and his four-year-old son stayed at the house using one of the victim’s credit cards to buy food and other things, including a shovel, which he allegedly used to bury the bodies, in an attempt to cover up his crimes.
The bodies were found about a mile from the residence on September 4, 2014. The father-son duo were arrested the following day at a Tampa hotel.
Where is Adam Matos now?
Adam Matos maintained his innocence at the time of his arrest but was eventually found guilty on all four charges of first-degree premeditated murder, receiving four consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole.
He is still serving time at the Wakulla Correctional Institution in Wakulla County, Florida.
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