PTSD On Trial: Matthew Desha and Road Rage

Investigator | Solon gunman shouted: "They killed my father"
WKYC
Phil Trexler and Tom Meyer
September 14, 2016

Matthew Ryan Desha (Photo: SPD)

SOLON: - After Matthew Ryan Desha emptied his AR-15 rifle on random motorists in Solon, police say he offered a curious defense.

“They killed my father,” he shouted.

Desha, 29, then recounted his mental health history to officers. Post-traumatic stress, drug abuse.

Friends say he often stopped taking his medication. He also often stopped seeking counseling.

No one had killed his father.

Desha, however, is accused of killing Deborah Pearl, whose car he crashed into on Solon Road after speeding through a red light Aug. 27.

Immediately after the crash, reports show Desha began firing his AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. He fired at Pearl’s car before she was able to get out, reports show.

He also shot toward four different drivers, all of whom had stopped at the crash.

Reports show two men managed to subdue Desha until officers arrived. Desha, dressed in a USMC T-shirt, had used every bullet he had.

Another man recorded the images on his cell phone. The video, which shows Desha firing his weapon, was turned over to police.

Desha, a Marine veteran, served two tours in Iraq.
read more here