Judge denies bail under Aniah's Law for woman accused of killing father, shooting mother and ex-boyfriend

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – A judge denied bail Wednesday for a woman accused of shooting her mother and ex-boyfriend and killing her father.

Police say Charity Matthews shot her parents in Mobile at a home on Avonlea Court.

Investigators said they found Robert Matthews, Charity's father, dead in the home. His wife Twinita was shot and taken to the hospital but she survived.

Hours later, Charity Matthews was arrested and charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder and reckless endangerment.

The state argued in court that this was just part of Matthew's alleged killing spree.

A mobile police detective testified that Matthews fired shots near her brother's car the day before the Avonlea Court shooting. In the car, the detective said, were Matthews' brother, his wife and young children.

The detective said hours later he testified that officers responded to Height Street after police said Matthews showed up at the home of her ex-boyfriend, Samson Moore. Investigators say Matthews shot Moore in the lower lip and chin area, but he survived.

The next day, officers responded to Avonlea Court in Mobile around 8 p.m. The detective claims Robert Matthews was found with a gunshot wound to the chest and his wife was shot in the eye.

The detective testified that Charity Matthews' children – an 11-year-old and a 6-year-old – were in the house at the time of the shooting, but that the children did not witness the shooting. The detective said the 11-year-old claimed he heard the shots that hit his grandmother and killed his grandpa.

The statement continued that Charity fled the scene with her children and was taken into custody at a local hotel. An MPD SWAT officer testified that the standoff lasted about three hours before Matthews was taken into custody.

The SWAT officer claimed Matthews was constantly screaming and chanting the word “Yahweh.” The officer says Matthews' two children were in the hotel room and police got them out safely.

According to the investigator, it is still unclear who provoked the shootings. Matthews has scheduled a preliminary hearing for November.

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