Matthew Scott Stone Jr., 21, was a graduate of Erie High School in his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. Known as Matt, he worked at a local Burger King and enjoyed playing video games. He was born in Erie on March 8, 2005, to Michelle Marie Lemons Stone and Matthew Stone Sr. Friends and family remember him as a young man who passed away unexpectedly, his life cut tragically short alongside many of his closest relatives.
On the afternoon of Friday, October 9, 2026, a horrific sequence of
events unfolded inside the Stone family’s home on Perry Street. Matthew’s father, 45-year-old Matthew Stone Sr., fatally shot eight people before taking his own life. The victims inside the house included Matthew Jr.; his mother, Michelle, 44; his younger brother, Jonathan Stone, 19; and his older sister, Angelina Stone, 24. Angelina, who was eight months pregnant and due to give birth just three days later, was killed along with her 5-year-old son, Isiah Hodges, and her 22-month-old daughter, Amari’anna Stone. The unborn baby boy, to be named Kyrie, also perished.
The violence extended beyond the immediate family. Around 4:40 p.m., Angelina had called her aunt, Lora Roberts, 37, asking for a ride. Lora, who was Michelle Stone's sister, and a family friend, Twila Tanner, 51, drove to the Perry Street house to help. Surveillance footage showed the two women appearing distressed and pounding on the front door. Matthew Stone Sr. emerged from the house and shot both women as they tried to run. Muffled gunshots had been heard from inside the home just before they arrived.
Police were dispatched at 4:53 p.m. after a ShotSpotter alert and arrived within minutes. Believing it could be a hostage situation, officers surrounded the home for several hours before securing a warrant and forcing entry around 7:12 p.m. Inside, they were met with what the police chief described as an "eerie silence." They discovered the bodies of the two young children on the first floor. In the stairwell leading to the second floor, they found the bodies of Matthew Jr., his mother Michelle, his brother Jonathan, and his sister Angelina. On the second floor, they found Matthew Stone Sr. with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The .40-caliber handgun found with him was registered in his name.
The investigation by the Erie Police Department revealed a disturbing history of control and isolation within the family. Relatives told detectives that for over two decades, Matthew Stone Sr. had exercised extreme authoritarian control, restricting his family’s finances and their contact with the outside world. This behavior reportedly began after his wife, Michelle, became pregnant with their first child. The investigation also uncovered a 2019 domestic violence charge against Stone Sr. for threatening his wife with the same handgun used in the murders; however, the charges were withdrawn after Michelle changed her statement.
Detectives described the living conditions inside the home as "extremely filthy," with non-working plumbing and bottles of urine found throughout the house. Investigators learned that Angelina had been making plans to leave the home after her baby was born. She had previously filed a petition to change her last name, citing concerns about her father's "declining mental health" and his physical abuse toward her brothers. In her bedroom, police found bags and boxes packed, ready for her departure. While family members had raised concerns about Stone Sr.'s mental health and possible substance abuse, police could not establish a definitive motive for the massacre.
In the wake of the tragedy, the Erie community mourned the immense loss of life. A candlelight vigil was held the Saturday after the shooting. Several online fundraisers were created to help the surviving family members of the victims with funeral costs and to support the five children Lora Roberts left behind, as well as the children and grandchildren of Twila Tanner. As of October 2026, the investigation was ongoing, but with the gunman deceased, the case was considered closed. The incident left city officials and community members grappling with difficult questions about how the family's crisis went unnoticed and what could be done to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
