By Kathryn Kelman/editor-in-chief
The man charged with killing NE student Molly Matheson has been indicted in another capital murder in North Texas.
Reginald Kimbro, 24, is accused of killing and sexually assaulting Megan Getrum, 36, of Plano within days of killing Matheson.
Matheson’s body was found in her garage apartment near the Texas Christian University campus April 10.
On April 14, Fort Worth police interviewed Kimbro. During the interview, he admitted the two used to date and that he had been in her apartment the night she was killed. He said he left after a few hours and had nothing to do with her death. Police didn’t arrest him at the time, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
The same day, it is believed Getrum disappeared while out hiking in the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano, close to where she lived, according to the affidavit. Her body was found nearly 30 miles away in Lake Ray Hubbard April 15 but was not identified until her family reported her missing.
Police found Kimbro’s DNA on both women’s bodies, court records say.
Kimbro has since been charged and indicted in both cases for capital murder.
Given that the deaths occurred in two different counties, they are being prosecuted separately by two different district attorneys.
With a charge of capital murder, a guilty verdict automatically carries a death sentence or mandatory life in prison without parole.
On Aug. 10, Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson said in a statement that Kimbro will face the death penalty if convicted.
Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson has not yet said whether she intends to seek the death penalty or life without parole when she tries Kimbro.
However, Johnson said she intends to find a just resolution for Getrum’s and Kimbro’s families.
“We continue to pray for Megan Getrum’s family. We also continue to pray for the family of Molly Matheson of Fort Worth,” Johnson said in a statement. “We believe that justice will be served in both of these cases.”
If Johnson seeks the death penalty against Kimbro, it will be the second time she’s made that choice since becoming Dallas County’s DA in 2016.
In addition to Matheson and Getrum’s murders, police in Plano and South Padre Island believe Kimbro is linked to two other rapes that involved choking, in 2012 and 2014, according to the affidavit.
The first assault happened in September 2012 in Plano. Kimbro was never arrested in the case because the victim didn’t want to pursue charges, Plano police said.
The second assault allegedly happened in March 2014 in South Padre Island. Kimbro claimed the sex was consensual, and the charges were dismissed, according to the affidavit.
However, in June, the Cameron County District Attorney indicted Kimbro on an aggravated sexual assault charge from the 2014 incident. The DA has not said why the office is pursuing the case now.
Following Kimbro’s indictment in the South Padre rape, Matheson’s family released a statement saying, “We are pleased that the South Padre District Attorney’s Office has made the decision to indict Mr. Kimbro on the rape and assault that took place in 2014. However, we are frustrated that it took the deaths of two innocent victims and almost three years for them to come to this conclusion. Our daughter, Molly, and Megan Getrum would be alive today if the system had done its job properly three years ago.”
Kimbro is currently being held at the Tarrant County Lon Evans Correction Center with bail set at over $2 million.
Officials have not said when they expect the trials to begin.
