On a tragic Fourth of July in 2021, Jonathan Alvarado Santiago, a 28-year-old Hispanic male, was fatally shot in Pontiac, Michigan. The violent incident, which also claimed the life of 30-year-old Christopher Cintron-Mateo, unfolded outside a residence on Valencia Drive. Both Mr. Alvarado Santiago and Mr. Cintron-Mateo were discovered with multiple gunshot wounds.
The ensuing investigation by the Oakland County Sheriff's deputies led to the swift arrest of Dazon Louis Mathis, who was 22
years old at the time of the killings. Mathis had reportedly been staying at the home where the shooting occurred. Authorities recovered a firearm at the scene that was believed to be the weapon used in the double homicide. Mathis was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder and related firearms offenses.
During the legal proceedings, Mathis's defense attorney raised concerns about his client's mental state, citing memory issues and a family history of psychological problems, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia for his mother. A psychiatric evaluation was ordered by the court to determine Mathis's competency to stand trial and his criminal responsibility. Following the evaluation, the trial proceeded.
In December 2022, a jury found Dazon Louis Mathis guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. On January 11, 2023, he was sentenced to the mandatory term of life in prison without the possibility of parole, bringing a close to the legal chapter of this devastating event that cut short the lives of two young men.
