Son of legendary singer Rick James sentenced in Bakersfield
Mathews left his cell and crouched down in a fighting stance next to another inmate's cell while holding a self-made slungshot — a small mass of metal or stone fixed on a flexible handle or strap, the District Attorney's Office said.
When the other inmate left his cell, Mathews struck him in the face with the slungshot, according to officials. Mathews continued to beat the inmate for 28 seconds until officers stopped him.
At Mathews' sentencing hearing Wednesday, Judge David Zulfa repeatedly spoke with caution, almost sounding apologetic.
The judge said he and Mathews had a 'cordial relationship' throughout the trial and he felt no antagonism between them.
Zulfa admitted he was having trouble separating his observations of Mathews from the defendant's lengthy history of violence, both in and out of custody.
'I don't take lightly my responsibility in imposing a sentence, especially a sentence that is going to be significant,' Zulfa said.
Ultimately, he sentenced Mathews to 25 years to life in prison, plus 10 years.
Mathews, 52, was found guilty last month of felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon by a prisoner and being an inmate in possession of a weapon.
The victim suffered a broken nose and lacerations that required sutures.
The jury found true that Mathews had prior felony convictions in relation to a robbery, intimidating a witness, assault causing great bodily injury and criminal threats – all of which fall under the state's three-strikes law, the Kern County District Attorney's Office has said.
Additionally, the court found his performance while on probation was unsatisfactory.
Before his latest conviction, Mathews was scheduled to be released from prison in 2030.
Syville Morgan, Mathews' mother, told 17 News she was a single parent who had taken care of Mathews and Tyenza James, his older sister. Morgan was also a singer songwriter in the past, but was not in the spotlight as much.
The family of three lived in a duplex in Central Avenue, Los Angeles, in an area which Morgan described as clean but 'it was in the hood.'
'His childhood was kind of basic for a young man growing up in a single parent home,' Morgan said.
That was until Rick James, performer of megahits 'Super Freak' and 'Give It to Me Baby,' re-entered the family's lives.
Mathews was around 8 or possibly younger when James allegedly sent detectives to find them.
Since then, James provided for the family, Morgan said. They moved to a home in Ontario, 'a nice place way out in San Bernardino Valley.'
Morgan said she believes Mathews felt some pressure at the time, as his lifestyle had changed after James came onto the scene.
Still, Morgan said, Mathews had a good relationship with his father, which they maintained until the 56-year-old singer's death in 2004.
After becoming an adult, Mathews suffered from depression at some point, Morgan said. He started using drugs and got into trouble, but he was never affiliated with gangs, according to Morgan.
'(Mathews) didn't start trouble, but trouble came around him because he was the son of somebody famous,' Morgan said. 'And I feel like he had to defend himself.'
Morgan also said her son is a talented artist and creative writer whose 'hard work is impeccable.' Mathews has an outgoing, fun personality and he always made people laugh, according to Morgan.
'Regardless, he's a man and he's trying to better his life,' Morgan said. 'We're looking for better things for him when he comes home, Lord willing.'
Before the sentencing, Supervising Deputy District Attorney David McKillop argued the defense's request to eliminate Mathews' prior strikes due to the age of those convictions should be offset by Mathews living a continuous life of crime.
Phillip Gillet, Mathews' attorney, said his client has a history of substance abuse and mental illness that should be considered for a less severe sentence.
Gillet also said Mathews believed he was targeted by other inmates due to not being a gang member while in prison.
He argued the 25-years-to-life sentence recommended by the prosecution and probation was unfair as the victim had attacked Mathews two to three times prior to Mathews' assault. He said Mathews tried to get moved to a new cell to avoid the victim, even breaking his cell window on one occasion, but he was never moved.
'I'm torn on this case because, quite frankly, you don't seem like the type of person that is outrageously violent,' Zulfa said to Mathews. 'But at the same time, you find yourself consistently in circumstances that result in violence.'
In the end, he gave Mathews the 25-years-to-life sentence, enhanced by 10 years. Mathews is also forbidden from possessing firearms and other related items, Zulfa said.
Zulfa seemed apologetic once more, saying he and Mathews had gotten along well throughout the hearings for this case. He said he truly hopes Mathews is able to one day get paroled as Mathews didn't seem like the type of person who should spend the rest of his life in prison.
'I wish you the very best of luck moving forward,' Zulfa said as Mathews nodded along in response. 'And I do sincerely mean that.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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