Literal ‘Ax Murderer’ Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attacking Friend Who Didn’t Return Jaguar SUV on Time

A man in Florida will spend the rest of his life in prison after he violently killed a friend who didn’t return his borrowed Jaguar SUV in time.

On Friday, September 18, Judge Christopher LaBruzzo sentenced Matthew Weldon to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury found him guilty last year of first-degree murder for the killing of Carroll Edwin Bryan, Jr. with an ax.

According to a report from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrived at Weldon’s waterfront home on May 21, 2024, after a neighbor called and said Weldon, 37, had informed them he’d killed someone. When deputies arrived, they found Weldon sitting out front covered in blood. He simply said “he’s dead,” and pointed officers toward the body of Bryan, 49, on the back patio.

Police pronounced the victim dead at the scene after observing multiple blunt force injuries to his head, neck and arm. During their investigation, police learned that Weldon and Bryan met approximately two weeks prior. Weldon agreed to loan Bryan his vehicle, but grew upset when he didn’t return it at the agreed-upon time.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Weldon had gone to the police days before the killing to report that Bryan had not returned his car. He later claimed that, when Bryan finally brought the vehicle back to him, he was upset that the police had gotten involved and came at Weldon with a knife. Police on the scene noticed minor puncture wounds to Weldon’s left leg and right hip.

However, after observing the scene, it became clear that Bryan was sitting on the back patio when he was attacked from behind with an ax, which struck him multiple times while he was on the ground.

Sheriff’s Detective Compton Persaud said during a deposition that the forensic evidence and blood spatter did not match Weldon’s account and further stated that the puncture wounds on Weldon seemed to be self-inflicted. Video surveillance and the neighbor’s eyewitness account also showed that Weldon was using a power washer shortly after the murder before he visited the neighbor to ask for advice on what to do.

The neighbor quickly called 911.

While sentencing Weldon, Judge LaBruzzo made sure to tell him that the jury’s verdict “makes you an ax murderer.”