Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Figueroa-Matos gets more than 35 years in killing
BENTONVILLE — A Fayetteville man was sentenced Tuesday to more than 35 years in prison after admitting he killed a man.
Wilson Figueroa-Matos, 41, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, abuse of corpse, tampering with physical evidence and terroristic threatening. He originally was charged with capital murder but agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge.
Figueroa-Matos admitted he killed 25-year-old Kevin Gonzalez, whose skeletal remains were found March 27, 2020, near Decatur. Gonzalez had been reported missing to Decatur police. He was last seen April 12, 2019, according to court documents.
Karla Benitez- Cruz reported April 15, 2019, she had gone a few days earlier to an apartment with Gonzalez, who went in to take care of money he owed Figueroa-Matos, according to an affidavit. She said she heard a gunshot and went to the door. Denis Vega, Figueroa-Matos’ roommate, told her everyone left through the back door, but she knew there was no back door, according to the affidavit.
Police went to the apartment, and Vega gave officers permission to look around to ensure no one was hurt, the affidavit states.
Luis Rodriguez- Martinez told detectives he was in the apartment when Figueroa-Matos shot Gonzalez once in the head, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Rodriguez-Martinez said he, Vega and Figueroa-Matos put Gonzalez’s body in a car trunk, and he and Figueroa-Matos drove dirt roads for more than an hour, then dumped the body and covered it with an air mattress, the affidavit states.
Maria Saravia, Gonzalez’s mother, said the day her son disappeared was the most painful day of her life. She said in her statement her son should still be here with his family.
“The pain and suffering will never leave me, and I will forever live in this nightmare,” Bryan Sexton, chief deputy prosecutor, read from Saravia’s statement. “I now live every day asking God to give me the strength to learn to live with this pain.”
Kenia Melendez, Gonzalez’s girlfriend and the mother of Gonzalez’s now-6-yearold son, said she searched for hours after Gonzalez went missing and feared he had abandoned her and their son.
“It isn’t fair for a 6-year-old boy to question where his dad is or why his daddy isn’t here to watch our Christmas tree during the holidays,” Sexton read from her letter.
Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green followed the terms of the plea agreement and sentenced Figueroa-Matos to 35 years and nine months in the Arkansas Department of Corrections. He will have to serve at least 25 years before he’s eligible for parole.
Figueroa- Matos apologized to Gonzalez’s family members.
Rodriguez-Martinez, 26, pleaded guilty recently to hindering apprehension, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and battery in Gonzalez’s death. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Vega died before the body was found.