Darci Bass confronted Matthew Edgar in a convenience store on Dec. 16, 2021, accusing him of killing her 19-year-old daughter, Livye Lewis, who was found fatally shot on Oct. 31, 2020, in Hemphill, Texas. Bass was charged after the confrontation but the assault, retaliation and criminal mischief charges were later dropped. Edgar was indicted March 16, 2021; he fled during his trial by disabling his ankle monitor, was captured 11 months later and sentenced to 99 years with parole possible after 30 years. The case raised questions about evidence gaps and the emotional fallout for Lewis's family.
Mother Confronts Man Accused Of Killing Her Daughter; Charges Against Her Dropped, Accused Later Sentenced To 99 Years
Darci Bass with her daughter, Livye Lewis
On Dec. 16, 2021, Darci Bass confronted the man she believed was responsible for the 2020 death of her daughter, 19-year-old Livye Lewis, after he walked into her neighborhood convenience store. The moment he entered, Bass says she instinctively lunged and tried to get answers: "When he came in the door ... I just went — started — started throwing whatever at him and went for him," she told "48 Hours."
The case began in the predawn hours of Oct. 31, 2020, when authorities found Livye Lewis slumped over the steering wheel of her car on the side of a rural road in Hemphill, Texas. She had been fatally shot in the neck by a rifle round. Bass says police did not notify her; she learned of trouble from a friend and arrived at the scene demanding to know whether her daughter was alive. Body-camera footage captured her anguished pleas: "I wanna see my child," she shouted. "Livye Lewis! Where is she?"
Investigation and Arrest
Sabine County investigator J.P. MacDonough told "48 Hours" that the position of Lewis's body suggested she may have known her killer. At the scene, officers found Lewis's boyfriend, 23-year-old Matthew Edgar, curled in a fetal position behind the vehicle with a rifle nearby. Edgar was transported by ambulance; body-camera video later shows him bloodied but coherent while being questioned.
"When was the last time you saw Livye?" Investigator MacDonough asks. Edgar responds, "Tonight," then says he has no memory of how he ended up at the scene.
Edgar was arrested at the hospital. His attorney noted gaps in the evidence, saying DNA and fingerprints had not been recovered from the rifle. Still, a grand jury later indicted Edgar on March 16, 2021.
Matthew Edgar, seen in a still from bodycam video, is questioned by a Sabine County sheriff's investigator about what happened on Oct. 31, 2020. / Credit: Sabine County Sheriff's Office
Confrontation, Charges Against Bass, and Trial Developments
Months after Edgar was released on bail because of COVID-19-related court delays, he entered the convenience store where Bass was present. Bass says she demanded answers, accusing him aloud of killing her daughter. Authorities say Bass followed Edgar to his truck, removed a chain from the bed, and swung it at his windshield. Edgar reported the incident and Bass was charged with assault causing bodily injury, retaliation and criminal mischief; she turned herself in. Those charges were later dropped.
Edgar remained free on bail into his trial. On the fourth day of the trial, he deliberately let the battery on his ankle monitor die and fled. The trial proceeded in his absence and a jury found him guilty. Authorities spent 11 months searching for him before his capture; he was ultimately sentenced to 99 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
Aftermath
The case drew attention for its emotional toll on Lewis's family, the gaps in forensic evidence noted by the defense, and the dramatic flight by the defendant during his trial. Bass's confrontation highlighted a grieving mother's search for answers; prosecutors later pursued Edgar and secured a conviction despite his attempt to escape justice.
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