Left: Matthew Weldon (WFLA). Right: Carroll Edwin Bryan (Community Funeral Home).
A Florida man will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing a friend who borrowed his Jaguar and failed to return it on time. Prosecutors said Matthew Weldon repeatedly struck the man in the head with an ax.
Weldon, 40, was sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder in the death of 49-year-old Carroll Edwin Bryan.
Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies were called around 3:30 p.m. on May 21, 2024, to a home in the 300 block of Shore Drive in Palm Harbor. They found Weldon outside, covered in blood.
“He is dead, he’s in there,” Weldon told deputies as he pointed toward the body.
Bryan had suffered multiple “chop” wounds to his head and neck. According to investigators, Weldon used an ax to bludgeon him.
Weldon had recently met Bryan at a bar and allowed him to borrow his Jaguar SUV. When Bryan had not returned the vehicle after a week, Weldon reported the matter to police.
Bryan went to the lakefront home shortly after 10 a.m. on the day of the killing to return the SUV. Home surveillance showed Weldon greeting him in a “friendly manner,” but the situation changed about three and a half hours later when the men became involved in a shoving match. The footage showed Weldon pick up an ax, although the fatal attack itself was not recorded.
A neighbor told deputies he heard an argument before Weldon approached him and said he “needed advice.” Weldon then said he had “killed someone.” When the neighbor suggested calling 911, Weldon reportedly said “no” several times. The neighbor went inside and made the call.
Weldon claimed he acted in self-defense, saying Bryan—who was reportedly a convicted murderer—had approached him with a knife. Weldon had a puncture wound on his leg.
The jury rejected Weldon’s self-defense claim and found him guilty.
During sentencing, Bryan’s family said he would have become a first-time grandfather this year, according to a courtroom report by the Tampa Bay Times.
“There are some wounds that I cannot erase, and some things that simply cannot be forgiven,” his youngest daughter, Sapphire Bryan, said.
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