In January of 2025, the life of 19-year-old Matthew Skye Keister, a male resident of Hollywood, Maryland, was tragically cut short. Family and friends grew concerned after the daily communication they shared with Keister abruptly ceased on January 21st. He had last been seen the day prior, and by January 26th, he was officially reported as a missing person to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office.
The search for the young man came to a grim conclusion on January 27th, when deputies responded to an emergency medical services call at Keister's home in the 25000 block of Jones Wharf Road. There, they made the harrowing discovery of his body concealed within a trash can on the property.
The remains were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, where an autopsy confirmed the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division immediately took over the case, launching a homicide investigation. Their efforts soon focused on a known associate of Keister's, a man named Lee L. Richardson. Investigators determined that Richardson had shot Keister inside the residence and then attempted to clean the scene to hide the evidence before callously disposing of the body.
An arrest warrant was issued for Richardson on January 30, 2025. He was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Prince George's County. Initially, Richardson, who was 23 at the time of his arrest, faced multiple charges, including second-degree murder, assault, and unlawful disposal of a body. The investigation revealed a senseless betrayal, as State's Attorney Jaymi Sterling noted that Richardson had murdered someone who trusted him and then lied to the victim's grieving family about his involvement.
The legal proceedings culminated on December 16, 2025, in St. Mary's County Circuit Court. Lee L. Richardson, then 24, was sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder of Matthew Skye Keister. The motive for the killing was never publicly disclosed by authorities. The life sentence ensures that Richardson will remain incarcerated for the devastating harm he inflicted upon Keister and his family.
