In the afternoon hours of a tragic Wednesday in Tucson, Arizona, the life of 26-year-old Matthew Johnson was abruptly ended. On November 8, 2017, Matthew returned to his home on East 20th Street around 3:00 p.m., unaware of the violence that had already transpired within its walls and the grim fate that awaited him. His stepfather, 49-year-old Rusty Coblyn, had earlier in the day murdered Matthew's mother, 59-year-old Willa Coblyn, leaving her in a back bedroom with evident signs of trauma.
Upon entering the living room, Matthew was shot multiple times by his stepfather. The series of horrific events continued shortly after 4:00 p.m. when Matthew's twin brother arrived. He was met at gunpoint by a hostile Rusty Coblyn. In a fortunate turn of events, the handgun malfunctioned when Coblyn attempted to shoot him. Forcing his stepson to a back room to retrieve another weapon, that firearm also failed to discharge. This provided a crucial moment for Matthew's brother to fight back. A physical struggle broke out, allowing the brother to escape the house, though he sustained a laceration to his head and several abrasions in the process. He immediately ran to a neighbor's house for help, frantically screaming that his mother had been killed.
The initial response from the Tucson Police Department began with a 911 hang-up call just before 5:00 p.m., followed by a second call from the neighbor who had taken in Matthew's brother. As officers arrived and began to secure the area, a single gunshot was heard from inside the residence. The situation quickly escalated, leading to the deployment of SWAT, hostage negotiators, and the bomb unit. For over two hours, negotiators attempted to make contact with anyone inside the home but were met with silence.
A search warrant was obtained, and a bomb squad robot equipped with a camera was sent into the home. The robot's footage revealed at least one deceased male in the living room. SWAT officers then used another camera to peer into a bedroom where they saw what appeared to be a deceased male and female. Upon entering the home, they confirmed their findings. Investigators believe the final gunshot heard by the responding officers was Rusty Coblyn taking his own life. The investigation concluded that Rusty Coblyn was the sole suspect in the deaths of his wife, Willa Coblyn, and his stepson, Matthew Johnson, making the incident a double murder-suicide. Consequently, no arrests were made.
