Stone Mountain landscaper Kevin Matchen receives life for murder of girlfriend

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA – A Stone Mountain man will serve a life prison sentence for fatally shooting his girlfriend and business partner while her young grandchild was asleep upstairs in her home. 

Kevin Lamar Matchen, 51, was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon for the October 2023 death of 45-year-old Alysia Darice Scott. Matchen was sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years. 

“We send our condolences to Ms. Scott’s family,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “It is terrible to see domestic violence on any level, and tragically when it ends in death. We will hold this defendant accountable for his actions so that Ms. Scott, her family, and her loved ones can have justice.” 

Scott’s neighbor found her dead on her sofa on Oct. 18, 2023, and called the police, according to the District Attorney’s Office.   Investigators arrived and found that she had been shot in the head. Matchen, Scott’s long-time boyfriend and partner in their landscaping company, told police that the two had returned to their home from dinner the previous night. He said he then went to DeKalb County to retrieve some tools for a job the next day and met with a friend at a hotel on Memorial Drive. When he returned home around 4 a.m., Matchen told police, he found the garage door and the inner-garage door open, and Scott slumped over on the couch. He took Scott’s grandchild to a neighbor’s home and reported her demise. 

Although Matchen told police that he and Scott had a “good night” without arguing, neighbors told police that the couple had been arguing the evening before she was killed. Text messages from his phone also showed a pattern of consistent arguing, according to authorities.

Detectives, however, found doorbell camera footage showing Matchen banging on the door at 10:30 p.m., the night of the murder and trying to conceal his identity with a flashlight. Investigators found that the doorbell camera had been removed from the door frame and there were no further video recordings. Evidence showed that Scott’s phone had been traveling with Matchen after 11 p.m., during the time he said he was picking up tools. Traffic cameras also captured him in his truck.

The jury deliberated for 35 minutes before returning a guilty verdict on all charges. 

Assistant District Attorneys Isabella Lugo and Aspen Talley prosecuted the case, and the Gwinnett County Police Department was instrumental in bringing the case to a close.

Photo via Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.