Michigan news anchor, 57, is killed in apparent murder-suicide by ‘family friend’: The host’s friend, 35, fled quiet suburban home with daughter, five, after being stabbed – daughter, 10, was tied up inside closet found
- The attack happened around noon on Friday, police said, after Jim Matthews, a night anchor at WWJ950, invited the now hospitalized suspect to his home
- Shortly thereafter, police were called to the residence and found 57-year-old Matthews dead and his 35-year-old girlfriend injured, stabbed multiple times
- Also injured was the couple’s 10-year-old daughter, who was found tied up in a closet with head trauma and was seriously injured, police officers said
- She was taken to hospital along with her mother and five-year-old sister, who sustained unspecified injuries, and is in stable condition
A Detroit news anchor was killed and his girlfriend and their two children injured in what police call a murder-suicide attempt by a 54-year-old “frequent visitor” to the radio host’s Michigan home.
The attack happened around noon on Friday, police said, after Jim Matthews, an overnight anchor at WWJ950, invited the suspect, who is currently hospitalized, to his home in Chesterfield Township, a quiet suburb outside Detroit.
Shortly after, police were called to the residence and found 57-year-old Matthews dead and his 35-year-old girlfriend critically injured after being stabbed multiple times.
Also injured was the couple’s 10-year-old daughter, who was found tied up in a closet with head trauma and was seriously injured, police officers said. She was immediately rushed to the hospital, her current condition is unknown as of now.
The unidentified injured woman, Matthew’s living friend, was also taken to hospital after escaping the horrifying scene with the couple’s other five-year-old daughter, who suffered less serious, unspecified injuries, police officers said.
Stabbed multiple times and leaving her older child behind, the woman was able to flee the home with the young girl and flagged down a driver to call the police. Both have since been hospitalized, with the girl in stable condition with unspecified injuries and Matthew’s partner seriously injured.
Upon arrival at the residence, authorities also found the 54-year-old male suspect who had overdosed on heroin and was suffering from self-inflicted wounds in the basement of the home.
The suspect was then revived by officers with the prescription drug Narcan and taken into police custody. He remains hospitalized and in stable condition but faces a number of charges in connection with the attack – for which police are yet to reveal a motive.
Jim Matthews, an overnight anchor at WWJ 950, was killed and his girlfriend and their two children injured in what police are calling a homicide-suicide attempt
The attack occurred around noon Friday at the home of Matthews and his friends on Bayview Drive off Hooker Road in Chesterfield Township, a quiet suburb outside Detroit
Police determined that the unidentified attacker had been a family acquaintance and frequent visitor to the home and had been invited into the home before the attack, police said.
The sudden tragedy has since reeled Detroit locals and the news scene as they mourn the loss of the late anchor, who spent nearly seven years as the radio station’s nighttime anchor.
The late broadcaster was remembered by his longtime employer as a devoted and dependable family man who was passionate about the news throughout his time at the station.
“He often spoke to colleagues about his children and his love for them and their adventures at school,” the radio station wrote.
“He was a consummate professional dedicated to WWJ and the broadcast industry. He loved breaking the news to his listeners.”
The channel added that many tears were shed on our editorial staff following Matthews’ sudden death and that “our thoughts and prayers go out to Jim’s family and friends.”
The sudden tragedy has since reeled Detroit locals and the news scene as they mourn the loss of the late anchor, who spent nearly seven years as the radio station’s nighttime anchor
The 54-year-old suspect, who police say was a family friend and was invited to the home before the attack, remains hospitalized and is in stable condition