The man who murdered his ex-girlfriend before dozens of witnesses in the Home Depot parking lot on St. Thomas in 2021 was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday. Justin A. Matthews apologized to the tearful family members of his victim moments before he heard his fate in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Denise Francois.
As she handed down the sentence, the judge also ordered Matthews to pay $9,238.30 in restitution to the family of Keoner Baron to cover funeral expenses. Both the public defender who represented him and the prosecutor who pressed the case asked the court for a hefty sentence, but one short of life in prison.
Matthews was initially charged with 11 criminal counts — topped by a first-degree murder charge — in connection with the Sept. 4, 2021, murder of Baron as she waited outside in the parking lot for a ride home at the end of her work shift. In late July 2024, the defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, which led Francois to set a sentencing date.
“What we have is a domestic violence situation where the defendant — Mr. Matthews — had broken up with Ms. Barnes and decided if he couldn’t have her, no one else could. And that’s all it was,” said Assistant Attorney General Ziska Anderson.
Territorial Public Defender Lisa Godfrey painted a different picture for Matthews with help from forensic psychologist Jacqueline Bashkoff. On the witness stand, Bashkoff evaluated the defendant and administered a test to determine his mental state.
Godfrey told the court that at first glance, she thought the September 2021 shooting incident was just a cold-blooded murder, but when she saw Bashkoff’s report, the public defender changed her mind. She also noted that while in custody at the Bureau of Corrections, her client attempted suicide “out of remorse for his girlfriend.”
Thomas Baron and Yvette Baron — the victim’s parents — wept openly in the courtroom. Taking the stand on behalf of the government, the father said Godfrey’s statements about Matthews’ motives were “a big fat lie.”
He specifically pointed to the statement that Matthews stalked and ultimately killed the victim because she was “the only woman he loved” and found out she was cheating on him.
“This man give the child multiple bullets,” Thomas Baron said. “It’s very hard for the family. This man did kill my daughter for no reason.”
Near the end of the two-and-a-half-hour hearing, the judge read at least a dozen victim impact statements from family members, a teacher who knew Keoner Baron while she studied in Dominica, and a coworker. Many who submitted statements called her a quiet but friendly person who received an acceptance letter for nursing school days before her death.
“I read all of the impact statements aloud and into the record to make it clear that I read every word,” Francois said. “The court weighs into the factor that the defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, domestic violence.”
With that, the courtroom heard the judges’ ruling: 30 years in prison. Francois also ordered the Corrections Bureau to provide psychological treatment, medication and evaluation for Matthews as needed.
