The Marine accused of fatally shooting a woman after a vehicle collision in Solon was indicted in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on Friday.
Matthew Desha is charged with a litany of offenses, including aggravated murder and felonious assault for the fatal shooting of Deborah Pearl, 56, of Twinsburg. Court records show that he was being held in Cuyahoga County Jail on a $1,000,000 bond. Desha, 29, is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 14 at 8:30 a.m.
On Aug. 27 about 7:20 a.m., Desha and Pearl's vehicles collided near the intersection of Solon Road and Richmond Road. Police reported that Desha ran a red light, causing the collision. His vehicle flipped several times before he climbed out with a 5.56 mm rifle and shot Pearl multiple times. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 8:18 a.m.
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The incident was investigated by Solon police and the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Identification, who found that Desha may have been intoxicated at the time of the collision.
On May 30, Desha was charged with carrying a concealed weapon during a traffic stop in Boardman, Ohio. Police also found drug paraphernalia during the stop. Desha told officers then that he suffers from anxiety and is a former heroin addict.
Desha is a Marina Corps veteran who was twice deployed to Iraq. He served from 2004 to 2008, according to the Marine Corps.
Pearl's family and coworkers at The Original Harley Diner were collecting donations for the mother of three.
