What happened to Arrijana Hill? Details explored ahead of Murder Under the Friday Night Lights on ID
The upcoming episode of Murder Under the Friday Night Lights on Investigation Discovery is ready to cover the murder of teenager Arrijana Hill, whose bright future and life were snatched away from her at the tender age of 16. What was even more shocking about this case from Pearland, Texas, was that she was pregnant with twins, which was also possibly the reason behind the murder.
The 2014 murder will be covered in Murder Under the Friday Night Lights season 4 episode 7, which premieres at 9.00 PM EST on Investigation Discovery. Titled Futures Ruined, the synopsis for this episode reads:
"The Hill family lives in a gated community near Dawson HS, where their daughter Arrijana is a popular athlete; when she is found murdered in her bedroom, detectives learn that Arrijana was hiding a secret that leads them to her killer."
Ahead of the episode, let us go over what happened to Arrijana Hill and who was behind the gruesome murder.
Who was Arrijana Hill and what happened to her?
Arrijana Cymone Hill was born on June 18, 1997, in Webster, Texas. She had two brothers, Khistler and Corstian Hill, and had a joyful upbringing. Their family later relocated to Pearland, Texas, where they went on to live in East Cedar Hollow Drive. The family was reportedly deeply religious and active members of the local community and church. Arrijana inherited this from her family and took it forward to wherever she went.
Arrijana was a student at Glenda Dawson High School in Pearland, where she excelled in a variety of things. Not only was she successful academically, but she was also excellent in sports. She reportedly participated in track and volleyball and was renowned for her abilities in her school. Moreover, she also took culinary classes and was also a member of the school choir.
It seemed that she had a very bright future ahead. In early 2014, Arrijana Hill revealed to her family that she was pregnant. Her parents were surprised but decided to support her through this anyway. She was reportedly pregnant with twin boys.
However, on March 21, 2014, things took an abrupt turn when her younger brother returned home to find the house in a mess. He called out to his sister but had no answer. He went to the neighbors to contact his parents. When her father arrived, he found Arrijana Hill lying in a pool of blood next to her bed. Items from her cupboard were also scattered on the floor. Authorities arrived shortly after and pronounced her dead. It initially looked like a robbery gone wrong.
An autopsy determined that she was strangled and stabbed to death.
Who killed Arrijana Hill?
After dismissing the theory of a robbery, authorities started looking at various people who may have a motive for the murder and eventually arrived at Ryan Matthews, her boyfriend and father of her unborn children, who was also the one who last saw her.
As the investigation proceeded, the police found enough evidence against Matthews, and he was eventually charged with the murder. He was 17 at the time, but was tried as an adult and ultimately received a sentence to life in prison. He continues to remain incarcerated today.
The upcoming episode of Murder Under the Friday Night Lights on Wednesday night will cover this case in more detail.
