KEENE, Texas — There is now a proclamation for a former Sonic employee who was killed on the job in Keene. It was issued to his family at his curbside memorial as his mother continues to seek justice.
City of Keene Mayor Lisa Parrish issued the proclamation in honor of Matthew Davis Thursday afternoon. She, like other city leaders, have been following the case since Mother's Day weekend when the shooting happened.
"Whereas Matthew Leighton Davis grew up going to Christian Worship Center in Alexandria, Louisiana, where he developed a strong foundation of faith and values, learning the importance of love, compassion and community," Mayor Parrish read. "November 2, 2023, in the city of Keene, Texas, as a day to honor the memory of Matthew Leighton Davis."
Parrish's proclamation means a lot to Davis's family, especially since the mayor issued it on what would have been his 33rd birthday. The people in attendance included his mother, aunts, son and his younger brother.
"Nothing can bring him back. but we really appreciate the city of Keene and Mayor Parrish for honoring Matthew in this way and immortalizing him," Matthew's brother, Christian Davis said. "You know, heroes get remembered, but legends never die, and Matthew will never die."
A Johnson County jury convicted a 13-year-old boy of fatally shooting Davis. It happened last Mother's Day weekend after Davis confronted the boy's uncle for urinating in public.
The 13-year-old's aunt, Ashley Marmolejo Gomez, is now facing charges for her role in the incident too. According to court records, Marmolejo Gomez is accused of manslaughter for allegedly supplying her nephew with the gun that killed Davis.
Detectives said they built their case against Marmolejo Gomez using surveillance video and cellphone records between her and the 13-year-old.
In court documents, Marmolejo Gomez told detectives, "I reached under my seat and got my HK.22 pistol and handed it directly to him [her nephew] and said, 'go.' I meant for him to go out and stop the fight by scaring the guy."
Marmolejo Gomez, who regularly attended hearing for her nephew at the Johnson County courthouse in Cleburne, was arrested there.
The 13-year-old is still waiting to be sentenced and his attorney hopes it will be lighter based on the actions of Marmolejo Gomez. A cellphone search warrant showed the he texted saying, "my aunt gave me the gun and I was supposed to shoot the ground, and I in accident shot the person."
The boy faces up to 40 years in prison for the murder of Davis.
Davis had turned his life around, according to his mother Leigh Miller. She said he was on the path of making his dreams come true, even with health challenges.
"Matthew had epilepsy, he had seizures. He had a troubled life," Miller said. "Matthew was not ashamed. He told people about his life. But it kind of scared me because I didn't want them to see him as this horrible, violent person, because he wasn't. My son was very simple, yet very intelligent. And he would have been so humbled by everything that's going on."
Miller also talked about encouraging other people working to get their lives back on track. She wants people who have spent time behind bars, like her son, to know that life is not over just because of the mistakes you've made in life.
"People didn't know him. They didn't get to know him, the real him. He wanted them to. And so, for her [Mayor Parrish] to do this, that's a statement saying domestic violence, domestic abuse of a child doesn't win, drug addiction doesn't win, incarceration doesn't win," Miller said.
"He didn't make a lot of money and that was not what he was after. He had aspirations and dreams. He wanted to be a chef. He wanted to own his own business. He wanted to start a nonprofit for incarcerated people. There were so many things that he wanted to do," she continued. "Part of me is gone that I'll never get back."
Miller and her family are waiting to learn the next sentencing hearing date for the juvenile convicted of killing Davis. She prays not only that he will be held accountable for his actions and more importantly for justice in the death of her son, who never got to see his 33rd birthday.