Inset: Jonathan Ross Mata (Houston Police Department). Background: A man identified as Mata firing a gun at a fleeing car in a gas station parking lot in Houston, Tex. (Houston Police Department).
In a tragic misunderstanding that led to a fatal outcome, a Texas man has found himself facing serious legal consequences after he mistakenly believed his daughter had been kidnapped. The incident unfolded on Christmas Day, leaving a family shattered and a life lost.
Jonathan Ross Mata, a 39-year-old resident of Houston, has been charged with murder following the death of 25-year-old Desmond Butler. The events took place in the early morning hours along a highway feeder road in Houston, casting a somber shadow over the holiday.
According to law enforcement, the chain of events began shortly after midnight. Mata and his wife received a distressing phone call from their 19-year-old daughter. During this call, she reported being attacked by her boyfriend, a claim that understandably set her parents on edge.
The daughter initially requested to be picked up from a relative’s apartment. However, confusion ensued as the couple later believed she would instead be at a Shell gas station on Bellaire Boulevard, expecting her boyfriend to drop her off there.
As the couple arrived at the gas station, they encountered a vehicle driven by a man matching the description of their daughter’s boyfriend. The car also had a female passenger, leading Mata to assume his daughter was inside. In the heat of the moment, and as the vehicle continued past them, Mata’s wife impulsively pursued it on foot, escalating the situation further.
Amidst the chaos, the tragic misunderstanding resulted in the death of Butler, leaving Mata facing the grave charge of murder. The incident underscores the devastating impact of miscommunication and the irreversible consequences of split-second decisions.
Surveillance footage of the initial confrontation, ensuing chase, and shooting was obtained by Houston-based CBS affiliate KHOU.
Around 1:05 a.m., the victim is seen driving his gray Honda Pilot into the filling station parking lot, passing by the defendant’s black GMC Acadia, which was parked at one of the pumps.
As Butler’s vehicle passes through the parking lot, a woman is seen exiting the GMC, chasing after the Honda, and reaching for the back passenger door as the Honda exits the parking lot and turns onto the access road that leads to Beltway 8, an 88-mile loop that surrounds the city that is also known as Sam Houston Parkway.
Then the footage shifts back to GMC, where a man is seen walking toward the fleeing Honda, pulling out his gun, and firing shots which flash in the dark — all with his cellphone out — followed by a much larger flash coming from the direction where the bullet was fired.
“The victim attempted to drive north on the West Sam Houston Parkway feeder road when he was struck by gunfire and crashed his vehicle into a pole in an adjacent parking lot,” the police department wrote in a press release issued after Mata was arrested. “The suspects got back into their vehicle and drove northbound on the feeder road.”
The complaint offers the following summary of the incident:
As the Hispanic female is chasing [Butler’s] vehicle, a Hispanic male driver gets out of the GMC Acadia with a pistol and is also seen talking on a cell phone. As [Butler] drives north on the feeder road, the Hispanic male fires two rounds at [Butler’s] vehicle and strikes him two times in the back of his head and back. [Butler] crashes his vehicle into a light pole in an adjacent parking lot.
After the shooting, Mata and his wife drove over to the site of the crash and pulled open the door of the Honda, according to Butler’s passenger, who later called 911, authorities say.
“[The defendant] looked inside the vehicle and said something to the effect of ‘Oh we were looking for our kidnapped daughter, I’m sorry, we will call 911’ and then drove away,” the complaint reads.
On Jan. 12, Mata and his wife arrived at the police department’s headquarters, with an attorney in tow, to explain the kidnapping misapprehension, according to the charging document.
“Defendant said that the vehicle left the parking lot, and he fired two rounds from his firearm at the vehicle trying to get it stopped and then saw that it crashed in an adjacent parking lot,” the complaint continues. “Defendant and his wife pulled up to the crashed vehicle and opened the door to see if their daughter was inside, but she was not, and they returned home. Defendant said that he did not realize that he had shot Butler and did not call 911 because he was scared.”
On Jan. 14, Mata turned himself in.
The defendant quickly posted $50,000 bond, according to Harris County court records. He is next slated to appear in court on Feb. 25.
