A 32-year-old man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for fatally shooting a friend in Spanaway and sparking a 90-minute stand-off with police.
Michael Jerome Matthews' sentencing Friday in Pierce County Superior Court followed his guilty plea last month to first-degree manslaughter with a deadly weapon enhancement, court records show.
In November 2021, Matthews was arrested and charged in the shooting death of 29-year-old Denerio Ferguson, a friend from Georgia who had been living with Matthews and the mother of Matthews' child. Ferguson was shot in his chest and lower abdomen, according to the charging document in the case.
Citing an interview with the mother of Matthews' child, authorities said they learned that Matthews had become paranoid and accused her and Ferguson of being involved with each other.
The shooting on Nov. 1, 2021, which occurred in the 200 block of 165th Street South, was preceded by a physical altercation between Matthews and the victim, according to the charging document. After the shooting, Matthews fled to his mother's house, setting off a stand-off with authorities.
When Matthews exited the home, he did not comply with orders to put his hands up and instead reached into his clothing, according to the charging document. Pierce County Sheriff's deputies took him into custody after approaching him with a shield.
Matthews, who appeared intoxicated, was taken to a hospital because detectives were concerned he might have consumed drugs and a large quantity of alcohol.
Inside Matthews' mother's house, authorities found cartridges that matched a shell casing at the scene of the shooting, the charging document shows. With a gun-detection dog, they recovered the gun used in the shooting outside of the home. It had previously been reported stolen.
Matthews, who appeared to be dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues, initially faced second-degree murder charges. He underwent three psychological evaluations while waiting to stand trial, court records show.
He reported to evaluators that he heard voices and saw hallucinations. The mother of his child told authorities that he had attempted to kill himself by overdosing on four occasions in the year leading up to the shooting.
While Matthews initially was deemed mentally incompetent for trial, evaluators ultimately concluded that he understood the nature of the proceedings against him and that it was unclear whether his reported psychiatric symptoms were genuine, court records show.
A detective contacted Matthews three days after the shooting and asked if he wanted to talk. According to the charging document, Matthews did not.
"I don't know what's going on," he reportedly said. "I just know ... I was at home ... someone tried to run in my house. My girlfriend held him back. I killed him. I got kids at home."
