Murder of Adrian Chavez

The murder of Adrian Chavez was a fatal shooting at La Esquina, a convenience store in east Amarillo, Texas, on April 8, 2012. Chavez, the 47-year-old owner of the store, was shot once in the chest after two masked men entered the business. The men fled when Chavez's teenage son emerged from a bathroom, apparently without taking anything.

Two people were charged at different stages of the investigation. Pshard Andre Smith was arrested and indicted in 2012, but the case against him was subsequently dismissed. DNA recovered from a discarded Halloween mask later led authorities to charge Matthew D'Breeze Mason, who was indicted for murder in 2013.^[1][2]

Shooting

At approximately 10:15 p.m. on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012, two men entered La Esquina at 1500 North Mirror Street. One of the men was wearing what appeared in surveillance footage to be a black-and-white Halloween mask.

According to Chavez's wife, Maria Chavez, one of the men fired a single shot into her husband's chest. The couple's 15-year-old son then emerged from a bathroom, prompting both intruders to flee without taking any property.

An eyewitness reported seeing two dark figures running north from the store. An autopsy determined that Chavez died from the gunshot wound to his chest.

Investigation

On the morning after the shooting, Amarillo police recovered a black-and-white Halloween mask from a Dumpster in the 1800 block of North Houston Street. The location was less than half a mile north of La Esquina and generally consistent with the direction in which the fleeing men had reportedly run.

The mask was sent to a state crime laboratory for forensic testing. Investigators also reviewed surveillance footage from the store and interviewed witnesses. One witness who knew Mason told officers that he had seen Mason earlier that evening at a park approximately 1.3 miles from La Esquina, walking south in the direction of the store.

Case against Pshard Andre Smith

Amarillo SWAT officers arrested 17-year-old Pshard Andre Smith on April 12, 2012, after an eyewitness identified him in a photographic lineup. Prosecutors initially charged Smith with fatally shooting Chavez.

On May 16, a Potter County grand jury indicted Smith for murder. The prosecution was later dismissed, and Smith was released from custody on July 31, 2012. The reports do not identify the reason for the dismissal.^[1:1]

Case against Matthew D'Breeze Mason

Forensic testing later identified DNA on the discarded Halloween mask as belonging to Matthew D'Breeze Mason. Based on the DNA result and other evidence described in a criminal complaint, Potter County authorities charged Mason with murder on November 27, 2012. He was 19 at the time of his arrest.

Prosecutors recommended bail of $500,000. Mason remained in the Potter County jail in lieu of bail while the case was pending.

By April 30, 2013, a Potter County grand jury had indicted Mason for murder. He was then 20 years old. Under the punishment range reported at the time, a murder conviction could have resulted in five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.^[2:1]

The supplied reports do not establish the ultimate disposition of the charge against Mason.^[3]

Case information

References