Juan Apollo Matthews was 40 years old when he died early on Thursday, August 3, 2017, in Lancaster. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds in the 44700 block of Division Street. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described how he was found. Sheriff's deputies were called to the Windrose Apartments about 12:45 a.m. "regarding an assault with a deadly weapon," according to a department news release. Matthews "was found lying near the apartments' carport," sheriff's Lt. Rodney Moore said. The Lancaster resident was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:58 a.m.
How long he had been there was never made public. "Investigators don't know how long Matthews had been lying on the ground before he was discovered," Moore told the Times.
A few people were detained for questioning as possible witnesses, but they were released, and Moore said there had been "no arrests in connection with the stabbing."
His family spoke briefly to television reporters. They told Fox 11 News that Matthews "was a father of seven," and that he had been visiting extended family at the time of his death. That detail suggests he was at or near a relative's home when he was attacked, although the record does not say which apartment he was visiting or who he was with that night.
Public memorial listings add a little more. A Find a Grave memorial gives his name as Juan Apollo Matthews Sr., born January 8, 1977, and says he was buried at Lancaster Cemetery. An obituary listing on Tribute Archive gives the same dates and says he "passed away on August 3, 2017 in Lancaster, California." The "Sr." in his name suggests that one of his children was named after him. No longer obituary or family fundraiser could be found, and no news follow-up appears to have been written.
The record leaves basic questions open. It does not say whether Matthews was attacked in a fight or a robbery, whether he knew the person who stabbed him, whether anyone heard the attack, or what the people who were questioned told deputies.
Lancaster is the largest city in the Antelope Valley, the high desert region of northern Los Angeles County, about 70 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. It grew quickly in the late 20th century as families looked for more affordable housing, and many residents commute long distances to work in the Los Angeles basin. Sheriff's deputies, not a city police force, patrol the city.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Juan Apollo Matthews could be found in news archives or public records. More than eight years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived at or visited the Windrose Apartments on Division Street in early August 2017, who saw a man lying near the carport, or who heard about a fight that night, may hold information that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
