Where is Ryan Matthews now? Details explored ahead of Murder Under the Friday Night Lights on ID
The latest episode of Murder Under the Friday Night Lights is set to cover the brutal murder of teenager Arrijana Hill at the hands of her boyfriend, Ryan Matthews, in a case that shook the tight-knit community of Pearland, Texas. The murder was initially assumed to be a robbery gone wrong, but as more details emerged, authorities understood it was far more sinister than that.
Murder Under the Friday Night Lights season 4 episode 7 will cover this murder in detail when it premieres on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 9.00 PM EST. Titled Futures Ruined, the synopsis for the 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."
Though the initial assumption about the murder was wrong, the authorities did eventually circle back to Ryan Matthews, who was also the father of Hill's unborn twins. He was arrested and convicted of the murder and remains incarcerated even now despite being only 17 at the time of the crime.
What did Ryan Matthews do?
On March 21, 2014, Arrijana Hill's brother reached their house to find it in a mess. When he called his father, he arrived to find Arrijana's dead body in her bedroom. The cupboards were open and everything was scattered all around. It looked like it was a robbery gone wrong. It was revealed that Arrijana died from strangling and stabbing.
However, when investigators did not find signs of forced entry, they dismissed the robbery theory. They also learned that Arrijana Hill was pregnant with twins. After some interviews, they discovered that the last person to see her was Ryan Matthews, her boyfriend and the father of her unborn children.
He claimed that on the day, he walked home with Arrijana, and she was alive and well when he left her. However, there were several things that were out of place. Not only was Ryan Matthews' version of the events out of sync with the timeline the investigators had made, but he also allegedly handed the investigators a different set of clothes when it was asked for examination. CCTV footage later confirmed this.
His messages with Arrijana Hill revealed that he did not want her to have his kids and was repeatedly asking her to get an abortion. Interviews with friends also revealed that Ryan Matthews believed he had a varsity football career and that having children at the age of 17 would have affected it. There were also allegations of Ryan being abusive towards Arrijana.
A CCTV recording also confirmed that he came in through the front door but did not leave through it. All this, combined with more evidence that the police accumulated, led them to arrest and charge Ryan Matthews for the murder.
Where is Ryan Matthews now?
Though he was 17 at the time of the murder, he was tried as an adult for the murder of Arrijana Hill. He was ultimately found guilty of two counts of capital murder. He was sentenced to life in prison and will be eligible for parole in 2054.
As per reports, he is incarcerated at the Michael Unit in Texas.
The upcoming episode of Murder Under the Friday Night Lights will cover this case in more detail.
