Regional manhunt ends in arrest

MATTHEW EDGAR

By Chris Edwards
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HEMPHILL – A manhunt that lasted almost a year came to a close on Dec. 29, 2022 near Hemphill.

Matthew Hoy Edgar, a 26-year-old Sabine County man, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Edgar, who was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend, Livye Lewis, in January of 2022, had fled during his trial proceedings.

Edgar was convicted and sentenced, in absentia, to 99 years in prison. According to a news release from the U.S. Marshals Service issued after his arrest, Edgar, who was on the Texas 10 Most Wanted list, was apprehended when investigators received information about his whereabouts.

The Marshals Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force, along with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office, located and arrested Edgar at a residence in rural eastern Sabine County.

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The news release also mentioned Edgar’s previous convictions for evading arrest and serious bodily injury from 2015. He was charged with Lewis’s murder in 2020, and while awaiting trial, was arrested in 2021 on an assault of a family/household member charge.

When Edgar disappeared, on Jan. 27, 2022, the ensuing manhunt drew national attention to the case, with Lewis’s mother telling several national news outlets that she and the family wanted closure.

When the Sabine County issued a warrant for Edgar’s arrest, law enforcement from around the region joined in on the hunt. According to Sabine County Sheriff Tom Maddox, in a press conference held last Friday following the arrest, lawmen followed leads provided by citizens and other law enforcement agencies, which took them into neighboring states. Ultimately, Maddox said, Edgar was taken into custody while sitting on the back porch of a local residence located not far from his family’s property and the actual homicide scene.

He was immediately taken to the Sabine County Jail to await formal sentencing by the court, according to Maddox.

Maddox said that no other individuals were arrested with Edgar, however, two subjects were detained and later released by SCSO deputies.

“The investigation into Edgar’s disappearance continues and could eventually lead to additional arrests by the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office,” Maddox said.

Maddox said he would like to thank all law enforcement agencies involved in the lengthy investigation for their commitment to getting Edgar back in custody, and especially the United States Marshal’s Service for their hard work and perseverance.