On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that 24-year-old Tonnaire McNair-Matthews has been found guilty by a federal jury for his involvement in several carjacking attempts. These attempts ultimately resulted in the kidnapping, sexual assault, and robbery of a woman.
In April 2023, McNair-Matthews and three other individuals from Delaware were taken into custody for rear-ending cars in an effort to steal the drivers’ vehicles, both in New Castle County and Pennsylvania. Later that July, they were federally indicted for their actions.
What happened?
According to prosecutors, McNair-Matthews was the mastermind behind the group and chauffeured the other members, including David Hinson (23), Michael Caldwell (21), and Mahkiya Powell (20), in a stolen Jeep as they began their carjacking rampage on the morning of April 14, 2023.
Police reported that the suspects had hit another car in Centreville and left the scene before law enforcement arrived. The other driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
According to court documents and previous reporting by Delaware Online/The News Journal, less than thirty minutes after the initial collision, McNair-Matthews collided with another vehicle from behind while in Pennsylvania. The driver of the second car was a Pennsylvania woman who was on her way to work in Delaware. After the accident, she pulled over just across the state line and immediately called 911 for assistance.
According to the Department of Justice, while McNair-Matthews changed clothes to avoid getting caught, the other three men cleaned the woman’s car and took her purse. Court documents reveal that when the police identified McNair-Matthews’ stolen Jeep at a convenience store, he and Powell, who was with him, fled and triggered a high-speed chase.
According to the Department of Justice, Powell and McNair-Matthews were able to evade the police, however, McNair-Matthews was apprehended three days later when he fled to Maryland.
The charges
On Thursday, McNair-Matthews was found guilty of several charges including kidnapping, carjacking, Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy, and the use of a firearm in relation to Hobbs Act robbery and kidnapping.
According to the Hobbs Act, it is illegal to commit or attempt robbery or extortion that has an impact on interstate or foreign commerce.
U.S. Attorney David Weiss expressed his condemnation of the defendants’ heinous crime spree and the devastating consequences that followed. He praised the victim’s bravery and hoped that the jury’s guilty verdict would bring some sense of closure to the case.
The Department of Justice has stated that McNair-Matthews could face a life sentence at most, but his punishment is yet to be decided.
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