SABINE COUNTY, Texas — The Texas Rangers is leading the investigation to determine if anyone may have helped convicted murderer Matthew Edgar hide from law enforcement in Sabine County for nearly a year.
Edgar, 26, was convicted in connection with the 2020 death of his girlfriend Livye Lewis, 19, and sentenced to 99 years in prison.
He was found guilty in January 2022 but he skipped out on the third day of his trial. While he was away, a jury gave a verdict of 99 years. Edgar was eventually found on Dec. 29 on a back porch of a Sabine County home thanks to a multi-agency operation.
On Tuesday, Sabine County Deputy JP MacDonough said the sheriff's office has asked the Texas Rangers to look into who could have assisted in Edgar's evasion from officers.
On Dec. 29, a plan was put in place to perform surveillance on the home and take Edgar into custody if he was sighted.
That afternoon, the Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force personnel and Texas Game Wardens moved through the woods and pouring rain and after hours of waiting, they confirmed Edgar and another man were sitting on the porch, the U.S. Marshal's Office said.
Officers quickly moved in on Edgar and the other man, ordering them to the ground. They were both taken into the custody, but the other man was later released, the statement read.
Following his arrest, Edgar was formally sentenced by a judge during a hearing, where Lewis' mother and grandmother spoke about their loved one.
Cameras were not allowed but the courtroom was packed and full of emotion with what looked like Lewis' family and friends.
Edgar walked into the room dressed in a pink jumpsuit, handcuffed and shackled.
According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Edgar will be eligible for parole on May 31, 2052. He is now serving his sentence in the Wainwright Unit in Lovelady.