A local man has been sentenced for the 2011 murder of an 87-year-old man.
Josiah Matthews, 32, was sentenced Thursday in Champaign County Common Pleas Court to 25 years to life for aggravated murder and other felonies, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced.
This includes 15 years to life for murder and 10 years for aggravated robbery.
Matthews will serve the sentences consecutively, which means he won’t be eligible for parole for 25 years.
News Center 7 previously reported that Matthews was convicted in October 2022 by a Champaign County jury for the 2011 slaying of Louis Taylor, 87, who died several weeks after police found him in his home, Urbana Police Chief Matt Lingrell said.
He died on Nov. 17, 2011, 24 days later.
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“The victim died before he could lead us to his attacker, but determined investigators made sure he got justice,” said Yost. “The community is safer with this cold-blooded killer off the streets.”
After the assault, Matthews stole Taylor’s wedding ring and vehicle, which was later found abandoned in a Springfield parking lot.
Police discovered Matthews’ fingerprints on the vehicle’s exterior and learned that he had checked into a nearby hotel.
Witnesses testified that he bragged about having someone to rob while other said Matthews tired to sell the both the stolen vehicle and wedding ring, Yost said.
Urbana Police investigated the case, BCI performed lab work, and attorneys with the Ohio AG’s office Special Prosecutions Section prosecuted the case.
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