BIRTH: August 12, 1989
DEATH: November 14, 1998
Matthew Louis Cecchi ~ Age 9
Matthew, 9, was murdered by having his throat slashed and stabbed 5 times in the back while in a public restroom in a camping area.
Matthew had been attending a family reunion at a paid camping area at the beach at Oceanside Harbor. His aunt escorted him to the public restroom, just steps away from his family campsite.
As the aunt waited outside, she saw the teenager enter the restroom. A few minutes later the teenager came out, and the aunt became worried about her nephew. She went into the mens room and found Matthew on the floor, bleeding from an ear to ear slash across his throat. Several bystanders tried unsuccessfully to revive the Matthew and stop the bleeding, but he died at the scene.
Brandon Wilson was charged with Capital Murder in the death of Matthew. He was found guilty and sentenced to death.
Brandon said during the trial that he stalked the child and killed him because God told him to do so. He had been taking LSD and staring at the sun in the days before the killing.
Brandon told jurors he would kill again if given the chance and recommended they sentence him to death. Brandon admitted he crept up behind 9-year-old Matthew in a restroom, slashed his throat and stabbed him five times in the back.
After being sentenced and sent to death row at San Quentin, he committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell, in November, 2011
OTHER LINKS:
Police ask for help in child murder case
Transient Held in Stabbing Death of Boy
Insanity Plea Made in Slaying of Boy, 9
Stolen Lives 