02-06-2025
Decatur teen gets 40 years for killing mom, unborn baby
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A Decatur teenager has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after a dispute over Snapchat two years ago escalated to shots being fired, killing a pregnant woman and her unborn baby.
Mattarion Anderson, 17, was in court on Friday to learn his fate after he was convicted in April of first-degree murder and intentional homicide of an unborn child. After listening to three victim impact statements and hearing evidence from the defense, Judge Griffith condemned Anderson to 20 years in prison for each count — sentences that will run consecutively.
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Trying Anderson from the bench, Griffith found that he was one of three people who, on March 8, 2023, took part in a shooting that left 20-year-old Janiah Thomas dead. The mother of two, soon to be three, was visiting her boyfriend's home on Woodford Street when Anderson and his accomplices appeared, in retribution for an ongoing dispute.
Decatur Police said in a sworn statement that Thomas' boyfriend and brother went outside once they were aware of Anderson's presence. Shots were fired a short time later and the bullets went flying into the home. Thomas was shot as she tried to protect her 4-year-old daughter, who was shot in the eye.
The girl would lose her eye as a result of the shooting, along with her mother and unborn sibling.
In April, Judge Griffith convicted Anderson of killing Thomas and her baby, but not for aggravated battery to Thomas' daughter. On Friday, more than two years after the deadly shooting, Griffith sentenced Anderson to four decades behind bars.
However, the sentence could have been worse if Anderson were an adult when the crime was committed. He was facing adult charges, but Griffith decided against imposing a 25-year firearm enhancement for each count due to state statute concerning underage defendants.
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Anderson is the second person to be sentenced in connection with Thomas' murder. A week after finding Anderson guilty, Griffith accepted a plea of guilty from Tarlan Mackey for residential burglary related to the shooting. Griffith sentenced Mackey to 10 years in prison for that crime while dismissing all counts of murder and aggravated battery.
The third suspect in the case is Anderson's brother Mattavius. His case is still pending, with a pretrial hearing scheduled for Friday. Mattavius has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of murder and aggravated battery.
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