BY NANCY DRURY DUNCAN, Eastern Shore Post —
A Bloxom man will spend 10 years in prison for fatally stabbing a man in a Mappsville trailer park.
Edwin Colon Matias, 38, pleaded guilty in September 2024 to the second-degree murder of Deandre Abbott.
The plea agreement with prosecutors capped his active prison time at 10 years.
Judge Lynwood W. Lewis Jr. sentenced Matias to 40 years with all but 10 years suspended.
Lewis ordered him to be on supervised probation for 10 years and to maintain good behavior for 15 years.
On the witness stand at his sentencing, Matias gave testimony Commonwealth’s Attorney Spencer Morgan said he had not heard before and did not believe.
Matias said he stopped at a house in the trailer park to ask directions.
Using an interpreter while testifying, Matias said his paraplegic wife and his son were in the car.
He claimed Abbott became aggressive to him and threatened his family.
He said Abbott had a knife, which he used in the stabbing.
He also said Abbott was the initial aggressor and said he had no idea he was seriously hurt.
“If I had known I would have called an ambulance,” he testified.
He left the scene and the injured man also drove away only to crash his vehicle and die soon after, Morgan said.
Defense attorney Richard Phillips asked that Matias receive a sentence of only five years, saying the stabbing was in self-defense.
Morgan said Matias never before mentioned his wife and teenage son were witnesses to the crime and wondered why his tale of self-defense had not come out at his trial.
He asked that the full 10 years be imposed. He noted that Matias has a lengthy criminal record, with a history of assaultive behavior including protective orders, assault of family members, burglary, and a threat to bomb.
He also noted Matias spoke English well enough in the past not to need a translator.
He said the defendant spoke with a probation officer for a presentence investigation report and appeared to have no trouble speaking or understanding English.
