The Murder of Eric Beckwith

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The Murder

Description

On the 19th of October, 1987, the police responded to a sires of shootings at the city's wastewater treatment center. When questioning all involved, police attempted to follow up with a local 14 year old boy, Eric Beckwith, to see if he had information about the case. At the time, Eric was over at a neighbors house. Once he discovered the police were looking for the shooters, Eric went to warn his friends he suspected were responsible for the incident. [1]

Mathew Felter, who had recently been suspended from school over violent behavior, met Eric in his home. Once Eric informed Mathew of the polices knowledge of his involvement in the wastewater shootings, Felter began to get angry. Felter suspected that Eric had tipped off the police of his identity. Once the two boy's tempers had risen to their peaks, Mathew shot Eric from 6-9 feet away. [2]

The bullet was said to have entered Beckwith's upper abdomen, passed through his stomach, hit the aorta, and land in the lower back. He died less than an hour later in the Wooster hospital. [3]

Police never discovered if Mathew had stolen the 22-caliber rifle or was given it by a local man.

Mathew Felter was charged and convicted of delinquency by involuntary manslaughter.[4]

Newspaper Articles

References

  1. The Daily Record, Thur. October 22, 1987.
  2. The Daily Record, Thur. October 29, 1987.
  3. The Daily Record, Thur. October 29, 1987.
  4. The Daily Record, Thur. October 29, 1987.