David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that a federal jury convicted Tonnaire McNair-Matthews, 24, on charges of kidnapping, carjacking, Hobbs Act robbery and conspiracy, and brandishing and use of a firearm in relation to Hobbs Act robbery and kidnapping. Chief U.S. District Judge Colm F. Connolly accepted the verdict.
According to court records and evidence presented at the four-day trial, McNair-Matthews, together with David Hinson, 23, Michael Caldwell, 21, and Mahkiya Powell, 20, conspired to rob unsuspecting drivers by rear-ending them with a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee (“the Jeep”) with the intent to rob the drivers when they got out to inspect their cars for damage. After three unsuccessful carjacking attempts, McNair-Matthews, while driving the Jeep, rear-ended the victim, then approached the victim’s car and abducted the victim at gunpoint.
McNair-Matthews then drove the victim, against her will, in the victim’s car from Delaware back into Pennsylvania, where he had rear-ended her. During the ride, McNair-Matthews forced the victim to disrobe, demanded the victim’s PIN code, and digitally penetrated her against her will. After arriving in Pennsylvania, McNair-Matthews then forcibly raped the victim at gunpoint. He then abandoned the victim and drove the victim’s car to Delaware convenience stores, withdrawing money from the victim’s bank accounts via ATM transactions using the stolen PIN code.
McNair-Matthews then reunited with Hinson, Powell, and Caldwell in Wilmington, Delaware. Once there, McNair-Matthews provided them with the victim’s bank cards, PIN, and the firearm he used in the carjacking and rape according to court records. Hinson, Powell, and Caldwell then cleaned the victim’s car and stole her purse police said. After McNair-Matthews changed clothes to try and evade detection, the four men met up at a Wilmington gas station, where law enforcement tracked them. On sight, McNair-Matthews and Powell led law enforcement on a high-speed chase in the Jeep and evaded capture. McNair-Matthews was arrested three days later after fleeing to Maryland.
U.S. Attorney Weiss stated, “The defendants engaged in a heinous crime spree with devastating consequences. Coordination between my office and our state and federal law enforcement partners to bring Mr. McNair-Matthews and his coconspirators to justice was swift and exceptional. Together, we will continue to work to remove violent offenders from our streets. I commend the victim’s bravery and hope that the jury’s guilty verdict brings some measure of closure.”
“The amount of harm and senseless violence McNair-Matthews and his coconspirators carried out in a single day is astonishing and saddening,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “I am deeply grateful for the expert help of Deputy Attorney General Diana Dunn and the rest of our team, as well as the Delaware and Pennsylvania State Police, and our partners with the FBI in bringing them to justice and holding them accountable for the harm they’ve so callously inflicted.”
“There is no place in our society for a violent rapist, kidnapper, and criminal like Tonnaire McNair-Matthews. This conviction ensures he will spend time behind bars for the horrible and cruel attack he viciously inflicted upon an innocent woman,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “I am proud of the work the FBI’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force does with our local, state, and federal partners to identify and arrest dangerous criminals like McNair-Matthews and bring them to justice.”
McNair-Matthews faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Chief U.S. District Judge Colm F. Connolly will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.