Murder of Doris Jane Burke-Love

Case information

The murder of Doris Jane Burke-Love was a 2019 homicide in Amarillo, Texas. Love, 62, died from repeated blunt-force injuries to her head and face. Her decomposing body was discovered on September 5, 2019, in a crawl space beneath the South Monroe Street home she shared with her son, Matthew Ryan Hubbell. Hubbell was taken into custody after a police standoff and later charged with murder.^[1]

Hubbell admitted at trial that he had killed his mother with a crowbar but claimed that he acted in self-defense after she attacked him with a knife. A Potter County jury rejected the defense, convicted him of murder on May 22, 2024, and sentenced him to 99 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.^[2] The Seventh Court of Appeals of Texas affirmed the conviction and sentence on March 20, 2025.

Doris Jane Burke-Love

Doris Jane Burke-Love was born on January 31, 1957, in Graham, Texas, to J. D. Burke and Barbara Lenore Wood Burke. She graduated from Graham High School in 1975 and attended Texas Tech University and Northern Arizona University.

Love worked as a book buyer and spent many years living in New York City, where she was employed by Barnes & Noble. Reading and travel were among her principal interests. She was also described as an advocate for women's rights and an active member of the Democratic Party.^[3]

Love married Jerry Lee Hubbell in Wichita County, Texas, on November 21, 1981. The marriage ended in divorce in 1985. Their son was Matthew Ryan Hubbell. She later married Randall Lynn Love; that marriage reportedly lasted from 1986 until 1992.

After losing her job at Barnes & Noble in 2018, Love returned to Amarillo and began living with Hubbell. Hubbell had resided in Amarillo since approximately 2006.

Killing

Love was last seen in public on September 1, 2019, when surveillance footage recorded her purchasing snacks and cigarettes at a convenience store near her residence. An autopsy performed on September 6 determined that she had died approximately three to five days earlier.

At trial, Hubbell testified that his mother's behavior had become erratic after she moved to Amarillo. He alleged that on the day of the killing, the two argued after he refused to purchase cigarettes for her. According to Hubbell, Love later entered his bedroom with a steak knife, bit his arm, and attacked him while he was resting. He said he struck her with a crowbar in self-defense, lost consciousness, and awoke to find her dead.

The prosecution disputed Hubbell's characterization of Love's condition and the circumstances of her death. Prosecutors introduced the convenience-store footage, which they argued showed no apparent sign of mental decline shortly before the killing. No other witness observed the altercation.

The forensic pathologist found that Love had suffered at least five blows to the face and five to the head. Her cause of death was recorded as cranial-encephalic injury caused by blunt-force trauma. The evidence indicated that she was killed in the house and that portions of the scene were subsequently cleaned.

After the killing, Hubbell moved Love's body to the bathroom and placed it in the bathtub. He later testified that the body remained there for several days. As police arrived at the residence, he moved it into the crawl space beneath the house.

Disclosure to friends

During the first week of September 2019, Hubbell contacted his friend Karl Scott and said that he had killed a woman. The two met in a vehicle outside Scott's residence and discussed disposing of the body. Scott, who worked for a lawn-care company, supplied Hubbell with a shovel and a corrosive chemical.

Scott observed what appeared to be a bite mark on Hubbell's arm. Because he believed the mark was too small to have been made by an adult, Scott became concerned that Hubbell might have killed a child and contacted police.

Hubbell also called Scott's brother, Tendrick Sargent, and said that he had "messed up" and would be going to jail for a long time. While officers were trying to locate Hubbell, Scott participated in a recorded telephone call with him. During that call, Hubbell said that he "did it" because the woman had threatened to put him in jail and had come at him with a crowbar. He did not expressly confess to murder during the recorded call.

Police investigation and arrest

Scott could not initially provide police with Hubbell's address because Hubbell had been secretive about where he lived. Investigators contacted one of Love's former coworkers in New York and used a commercial records database to identify the South Monroe Street residence.

Officers arrived at the house on September 5, 2019. They saw a person look through the window blinds but received no response at the door. Police maintained surveillance while obtaining a search warrant. Because investigators had information that Hubbell might be armed, the Amarillo Police Department initiated a critical-incident response involving SWAT officers, negotiators, and the bomb squad.^[1:1]

After police used telephone calls, text messages, and loudspeaker commands, Hubbell exited the residence and was detained. He initially told an officer that his mother had traveled to Dallas or Houston to visit a friend but could not identify the alleged friend.

During the search, officers noticed the odor of decomposition and discovered Love's body in the crawl space beneath the house. Her identity was confirmed through fingerprints. Hubbell was then arrested for murder.

Investigators documented bloodstains in a bedroom and bathroom, including stains detected with chemical agents in areas that appeared to have been scrubbed. Police also recovered disinfectant and air-freshening products. Two shovels were reportedly visible in the back seat of a vehicle associated with Hubbell.^[4]

Indictment

On December 4, 2019, a Potter County grand jury indicted Hubbell for first-degree felony murder. The indictment alleged that he intended to cause serious bodily injury to Doris Jane Love and committed an act clearly dangerous to human life by striking her in the head with an object then unknown to the grand jury.

Contemporary reporting stated that Hubbell remained in the Potter County Detention Center under a recommended bail amount of $1 million.^[4:1]

Trial

Hubbell's jury trial began in the 108th District Court of Potter County on May 20, 2024, with Judge Douglas Woodburn presiding. Hubbell pleaded not guilty. The contested question was not whether he had killed Love, which he admitted, but whether he had acted in lawful self-defense.

Prosecution case

The prosecution presented testimony from Scott, Sargent, law-enforcement officers, crime-scene personnel, and the forensic pathologist. It also introduced:

• the recorded telephone conversation between Hubbell and Scott;
• surveillance video showing Love at a convenience store shortly before her death;
• evidence of bloodstains and cleaning inside the residence;
• evidence that Hubbell had concealed Love's body; and
• autopsy findings showing approximately ten separate blows to Love's face and head.

Bank records also showed withdrawals totaling more than $1,500 from Love's account on September 3, after she was last seen in public.

Defense case

Hubbell testified in his own defense and acknowledged causing Love's death. He maintained that she attacked him with a steak knife and that he used the crowbar to protect himself. The defense also elicited testimony that Scott had seen a bite mark on Hubbell's arm and that Hubbell had described the killing as accidental or an act of self-defense.

Amarillo police officer Jennifer Jones testified that Sargent had described Hubbell's conduct as "very out of character for him." Hubbell expressed remorse during his testimony.

Verdict and sentence

On May 22, 2024, the jury found Hubbell guilty of murder. During the punishment phase, neither the prosecution nor the defense introduced additional witnesses or evidence.

The jury was asked whether Hubbell had caused Love's death while under the immediate influence of "sudden passion arising from an adequate cause." An affirmative finding would have reduced the applicable punishment range. The jury answered the question in the negative and imposed 99 years' imprisonment, the maximum term short of life, together with a $10,000 fine.^[2:1]

Hubbell filed a notice of appeal on May 24, 2024.

Appeal

The appeal was docketed as Matthew Ryan Hubbell v. The State of Texas, No. 07-24-00200-CR, in the Seventh Court of Appeals at Amarillo. Hubbell raised two issues:

1. whether the evidence was legally sufficient to support the murder conviction and the jury's rejection of self-defense; and
2. whether trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance by presenting no additional evidence during the punishment phase.

Sufficiency of the evidence

Hubbell argued that his account of self-defense was consistent with the physical evidence and was not directly contradicted by another eyewitness. He alternatively argued that the evidence supported a finding that he had acted under sudden passion.

The appellate court held that the jury was entitled to reject Hubbell's testimony. It concluded that a rational jury could find the elements of murder beyond a reasonable doubt and reject self-defense, particularly in light of the number of blows, Hubbell's concealment of the body, his efforts to clean the scene, and his conflicting explanations. Because the sudden-passion claim depended on the same account of provocation that the jury had rejected, the court also upheld the jury's negative finding on that issue.

Ineffective-assistance claim

Hubbell contended that his trial attorney was ineffective because no witnesses or other evidence were introduced during the punishment phase. His appellate brief argued that counsel should have investigated and presented mitigating evidence concerning his background, character, family relationships, mental health, and prospects for rehabilitation.

The court applied the two-part standard from Strickland v. Washington, which requires a defendant to show both deficient performance and resulting prejudice. Without deciding whether counsel's performance was deficient, the court held that Hubbell had not identified evidence in the trial record showing a reasonable probability that additional punishment evidence would have produced a different sentence.

Decision

On March 20, 2025, a panel consisting of Chief Justice Brian Quinn and Justices Judy Parker and Alex Yarbrough affirmed the trial court's judgment. Justice Yarbrough authored the memorandum opinion. The opinion was designated "do not publish."

Memorial

Love was cremated. A memorial service was held at Morrison Funeral Home Chapel in Graham, Texas, on November 3, 2019. Her family requested that memorial contributions be made to the J. D. Burke Scholarship Fund.^[3:1]

References

Court documents

• Matthew Ryan Hubbell v. The State of Texas, No. 07-24-00200-CR, Brief of Appellant, Seventh Court of Appeals of Texas, filed November 19, 2024.
• Matthew Ryan Hubbell v. The State of Texas, No. 07-24-00200-CR, Memorandum Opinion, Seventh Court of Appeals of Texas, decided March 20, 2025.