SOMERVILLE, N.J. — A Brooklyn man has been convicted of first-degree murder and multiple other charges related to the 2023 killing of Franklin Township resident Artis Timothy Young, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office announced in a press release.
After a two-week trial, a Somerset County jury found 45-year-old Daniel Matthews guilty of murdering 46-year-old Young during a robbery on December 29, 2023, at Matthews’ family residence in Franklin Township. The crime was connected to a dispute involving a large quantity of marijuana. Matthews now faces the possibility of life in prison, with his sentencing scheduled for April 25, 2025.
The investigation into Young’s death began on December 30, 2023, when Franklin Township police received a missing person report for Young. Authorities later learned that Young had planned to meet with Matthews on the evening of December 29. On the morning of December 30, Young’s body was discovered in Brooklyn, and the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a homicide by ligature strangulation.
Investigators quickly identified Matthews and Andrew Mumby as suspects in the case. Evidence showed that Matthews and Mumby transported Young’s body in the trunk of Young’s own vehicle, which was later abandoned at a Brooklyn location. Surveillance footage placed Matthews and Mumby at various locations with Young’s car in the hours following the murder. Matthews was seen purchasing cleaning supplies, and cellphone data confirmed his presence at the scene of the crime, the body disposal site, and the location where Young’s vehicle was found.
Forensic evidence strengthened the case against Matthews, with Young’s blood and DNA found in the trunk of his car, on the garage floor of Matthews’ residence, and on a sweatsuit Matthews was wearing in the surveillance footage. Matthews’ own DNA was also discovered on the bloodstained clothing. A witness testified that the killing occurred during a robbery connected to the marijuana transaction.
Matthews was convicted of first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, second-degree conspiracy to disturb human remains, second-degree disturbing human remains, and two counts of third-degree hindering apprehension. Mumby, who was also involved in the crime, has since pleaded guilty.
The trial was presided over by Superior Court Judge Angela F. Borkowski and prosecuted by Somerset County Assistant Prosecutors William A. Guhl and Terence Ford, with support from paralegals Amy Vandergoot and Tiffany Gordon. The investigation was led by the Franklin Township Police Department, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, and the New York City Police Department, with assistance from the New Jersey State Police and the FBI.
