Sabrina Matthews

October 27, 2009 by theo.johnson
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Society & Culture

When you do an initial search for Sabrina Matthews, you find a lot of content regarding Sabrina Matthews the lesbian comic (there’s also a ballet choreographer with the same name). But there is another Sabrina Matthews that is not getting a lot of national attention in the news.

According to mahalo.com and other sources, 14-year-old Sabrina Matthews was found in her Queens, New York, home on Sunday, November 9, 2008. Police said the teen’s throat had been slashed and her father reportedly found his daughter’s body when he returned home from work. There was no immediate word on any arrests in the case.

When I first heard this story, I was upset that it didn’t get as much attention as other cases similar to this. As the anniversary of her death approaches, I still haven’t heard much regarding her case and thought I’d continue to shed some light on her story by keeping it in the minds of those who read this blog.

Here are some Fast Facts from the Mahalo website:

Matthews’ body found in her home in Queens, New York, on the afternoon of November 9, 2008
Livingston Matthews reportedly found his daughter’s body in her bedroom around 1: 30 p.m. local timeDaily News: 14-year-old girl found slashed to death in her Queens bedroom ²
Teen was reportedly “naked from the waist down, with blood gushing from a wound to her throat”Daily News: 14-year-old girl found slashed to death in her Queens bedroom ²
Reports said police had been called to the home multiple times in weeks leading up to Matthews’ deathDaily News: 14-year-old girl found slashed to death in her Queens bedroom ²
Authorities were reportedly investigating “domestic incidents” at the houseDaily News: 14-year-old girl found slashed to death in her Queens bedroom ²
Matthews’ father was questioned by police, then releasedNY1: Autopsy To Be Performed On Slain Queens Teen (November 10, 2008)³
No arrests or suspects named as of November 10, 2008NY1: Autopsy To Be Performed On Slain Queens Teen (November 10, 2008)³
Friend quoted as saying Matthews had been associating with “a rough group of boys”Daily News: 14-year-old girl found slashed to death in her Queens bedroom ²
Matthews had three older sistersDaily News: 14-year-old girl found slashed to death in her Queens bedroom ²
An autopsy was planned on Monday, November 10, 2008NY1: Autopsy To Be Performed On Slain Queens Teen (November 10, 2008)³
Matthews lived in the Cambria Heights area of Queens
Matthews was a ninth-grader at Martin Van Buren High School in QueensThe New York Times: Girl, 14, Is Found Dead by Her Father in Queens (November 9, 2008)