Gallup wife beater / rapist sentenced
to 8 years

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Phil Stake
Staff writer

GALLUP — Daniel Lee Matthews agreed Friday to serve eight years in a state prison for raping and brutally beating his wife Sept. 6.

Matthews agreed to plead guilty to one of four counts of criminal sexual penetration, a second-degree felony, for which he will serve nine years with one year suspended.

Concurrently he will serve three years for one count of aggravated battery on a household member. Following incarceration Matthews will remain on probation for between five and 20 years, register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and be forced to view photographs of the battered victim.

Crucial to the severity of Matthews punishment was the testimony of the victim, according to prosecutor Bernadine Martin. Martin said rape victims are often reluctant to testify, either because they’ve been threatened or because they don’t want to publicly relive the emotional toil of the experience.

During Matthews’ probable cause hearing held Friday at Magistrate Court, the victim’s testimony led to a quick determination that Matthews did not want to stand trial in district court, where he would face up to four counts of criminal sexual penetration, one count of aggravated battery against a household member and one count of kidnapping.