In the late hours of September 8, 2016, a visit to a house in the 2500 block of East Murdock in Wichita, Kansas, turned fatal for 50-year-old Martin Carlos DeCasas. What began as a robbery attempt tragically ended with DeCasas being shot once in the chest. The male victim succumbed to his injuries, marking another life lost to gun violence. His death prompted an investigation that would ultimately lead to the apprehension of four individuals.
The subsequent police work unraveled the
events of that night and identified multiple suspects involved in the deadly robbery. Four people from Wichita were arrested in connection with the murder of DeCasas. The individuals taken into custody were Danny Williams Jr., then 19; Ashley Evans, then 22; Shaqwania Mathis, then 20; and Evian Matias, then 18. Their arrests brought a sense of resolution to the case as they awaited their day in court to answer for their alleged roles in the crime.
In July 2017, the legal proceedings concluded with the sentencing of all four individuals. Danny Williams Jr. received the longest sentence, amounting to 328 months, which is just over 27 years in prison, after being convicted of second-degree intentional murder and aggravated robbery. Ashley Evans was sentenced to 123 months, or just over 10 years, for second-degree reckless murder and attempted aggravated robbery. Shaqwania Mathis was handed a 155-month sentence, nearly 13 years, for second-degree intentional murder and attempted aggravated robbery. Evian Matias received a sentence of 181 months, which is more than 15 years, for his conviction on charges of attempted aggravated robbery. The sentencing marked the final chapter in a case that had taken a man's life and resulted in long prison terms for the four young people involved.
