A Tucson man linked to a murder by a cellphone seven years after the fact was sentenced Friday to 16 years in prison on a second-degree murder charge.
On June 23, 2000, Skeets A. Matthews, 43, was shot to death with a .40-caliber gun in a mobile-home park in the 1600 block of East Roger Road. A cellphone was found near the body and placed into evidence, but no other leads were developed and the case was closed.
In February 2007, the Tucson Police Department reopened the case and found the registered owners of the phone, who told detectives they'd purchased the phone for a friend named Joe.
Detectives identified Joseph Javier Romero, 30, as a possible suspect and realized he'd done time in prison for committing a home invasion in July 2000 armed with a .40-caliber gun.
Forensic tests proved the gun used in the home invasion was the same gun used to kill Matthews, and Romero was indicted on a first-degree murder charge in October 2010.
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Jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision during Romero's first trial last August, but last month a second set of jurors convicted him of second-degree murder.
Pima County Superior Court Judge Deborah Bernini sentenced Romero to 16 years for Matthews' death, but she also sentenced him to a consecutive prison sentence of eight years for possession of a narcotic drug for sale. When police arrested Romero in October 2010, he had three pounds of cocaine in his trunk.
Assistant Pima County Public Defender Sean Bruner asked Bernini to show some leniency, noting Romero grew up being abused and neglected by his parents, who had serious substance-abuse issues.
Deputy Pima County Attorney Casey McGinley pointed out Romero could have turned his life around after he shot Matthews, but he continued to commit crimes.
"His actions since 2000 speak loudly," and show he's a danger to the community, McGinley said.
Matthews' brothers, John and David, asked Bernini to consider the impact the slaying had on their family and asked that she give Romero the maximum sentence allowable.
Despite his struggle with addiction, his brother had a "kind heart" and took care of their father after their mother died, John Matthews said.
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com. On Twitter: @KimSmithStar
