Matias Perry Accepts Offer To Serve 15 Years In Chew Murder

The second of six defendants in the 2010 murder of Matthew Chew has accepted a plea offer in which he will serve 15 years behind bars.

Matias Perry, 19, pleaded no contest to manslaughter before Judge Susan B. Handy in the New London Superior Court. Perry was initially charged with accessory to murder.

Under the state prosecutor’s offer, Perry will serve 20 years in prison, suspended after 15 years, with five years of probation. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 7.

Idris Elahi, 19, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on May 23 after entering an Alford plea to murder. Also charged in the case are 19-year-olds Tyree Bundy, Rashad Perry (no relation), and Marquis Singleton and 20-year-old Brian Rabell. Singleton is charged with murder while the other defendants are charged with accessory to murder.

Chew, 25, was stabbed six times while walking from his job as a chef at 2 Wives Pizza to his Washington Street apartment on Oct. 29, 2010. He died of his injuries the next morning after he was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital.

According to court testimony and a police affidavit, the group met at Elahi’s house but decided to leave and assault a random person after they became bored. Rabell and Singleton said Rashad dared Elahi to stab someone and that the two started to make an oath before Rabell and Bundy stopped them.

At Elahi’s probable cause hearing, Rabell, Bundy, and Singleton said Matias asked Chew for a lighter and hit Chew in the face as he was reaching into his pocket. The men said they attacked Chew and saw what they thought was Elahi punching him in the stomach before they realized Elahi had a knife.

Matias’ girlfriend told police Matias had been with her on the evening of Oct. 29, but later admitted that he had told her about the incident. She told police that Matias said Elahi and Singleton stabbed Chew.

Matias and his co-defendants were all arrested in late November of 2010. He will have served two years in prison on Friday.

The remaining co-defendants in the case have court dates set for December.