In the late afternoon of April 30, 2014, a tragic event unfolded at an apartment complex on Springwood Road in Hot Springs, Arkansas, forever changing the lives of a young family. Mayela Mata, a 26-year-old female born in Mexico, was at her home with her fiancé, Terrence Scott, their 20-month-old daughter, and a friend, Antouin Bond. The ordinary day turned into a nightmare when two masked men appeared at their door around 5:00 p.m.
One of the men rushed into the apartment and immediately opened fire.
The gunman, later identified as Steven Swanigan, was armed with two guns, one of which had an extended clip. He began shooting indiscriminately, striking Mayela, her young daughter, and Antouin Bond. In the horrific moments that followed, Terrence Scott witnessed Mayela fall to the floor. She succumbed to her injuries from the shooting. Her daughter was critically injured but survived, as did Antouin Bond who was also wounded in the attack.
The investigation into the senseless violence led authorities to Steven Swanigan, who was taken into custody on May 7, 2014, and faced a charge of capital murder. A second suspect, 24-year-old Benjamin M. Pitts, was also arrested and charged with two counts of criminal attempt at capital murder and aggravated residential burglary. Court records from Swanigan's trial revealed that he was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree battery for his role in the fatal shooting of Mayela Mata and the injuries sustained by her daughter and friend. He was subsequently sentenced to an aggregate term of 720 months in prison.
