A 70-year-old man who had stalked and terrorized the same Washington, D.C. woman for more than two decades was sentenced to 25 years in prison this month for beating her to death with a cane inside her own home, capping a case that stretched from a 2021 killing to a courtroom resolution nearly five years later. Michael Garrett had been out of prison for less than nine months when he killed Sylvia Matthews, having been granted compassionate release from a 24-year sentence for a previous assault on her.
A Stalking Pattern That Began in a D.C. Prison
Matthews met Garrett at Lorton Prison while she worked there and he was serving a sentence for a 1994 burglary, according to WUSA9. That encounter set off a fixation that led Garrett to stalk her and eventually break into her home, earning him a 24-year sentence in 1999. As reported by Daily Voice, prosecutors said Garrett assaulted and threatened Matthews before that break-in, marking the start of a pattern of violence that would span more than 20 years.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert Okun granted Garrett compassionate release in March 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns inside the prison, overriding formal objections from the U.S. Attorney's Office, per the Washington Free Beacon. Prosecutors had opposed his release, according to Daily Voice, but Garrett walked out of prison after serving more than 20 years of his sentence for the earlier crimes against Matthews.
Warning Signs in the Weeks Before the Killing
The warning signs came fast once Garrett was free. On October 22, 2021, police reported that Garrett beat Matthews outside her home, and that case was suspended, according to the same account.
On the morning of December 3, 2021, Matthews called 911 to report property damage, followed by additional calls. Court documents cited by Daily Voice state that Garrett had broken windows at Matthews' home and on her car that day. Despite police responses earlier that morning, officers were sent back to the home for a burglary in progress at approximately 11:20 a.m., after Garrett tried to enter, according to the same court documents.
Found in the Basement, Rushed to the Hospital
When D.C. Metropolitan Police officers responded to the home that day, a witness had reported that Matthews was being held hostage inside. Officers found her at the bottom of the basement stairs with severe head trauma, per Daily Voice, and located Garrett in the basement, taking him into custody on the spot. Matthews was transported to a hospital that day.
Prosecutors disclosed during court proceedings that Garrett fatally beat Matthews with a cane inside her home on December 3, 2021, according to DC Witness. She later died at the hospital from blunt-force injuries, and the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide, Daily Voice reported.
A Guilty Plea, a Reversal, and a Final Sentence
The path to sentencing dragged on for years. Garrett pleaded guilty in March 2026 to second-degree murder while armed, according to DC Witness. He later tried to withdraw that plea.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz formally rejected that withdrawal motion, DC Witness reported. Kravitz went on to sentence Garrett on September 11 to 25 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. The negotiated plea agreement included the dismissal of additional charges.
Family Speaks, Prosecutor Points to the Release Decision
At the sentencing hearing, Matthews' niece asked the court to remember her aunt as a quiet and gentle woman rather than solely by her violent death, according to DC Witness. Her cousin told the court that hospital and morgue staff had advised family members against viewing Matthews' body because of the severity of her injuries.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Matthews deserved safety, dignity, and peace, per Daily Voice. Pirro also said the judge who granted compassionate release gave Garrett the opportunity to come out and kill Matthews, adding that the sentence delivers a measure of justice and ensures Garrett will no longer pose a threat to anyone in the community.
Wider Scrutiny of Early Release
D.C. Superior Court's early-release decisions faced wider regional scrutiny following Garrett's case, especially after the April 2021 killing of Darrell Moore, another offender granted early release by Judge Okun who subsequently committed a fatal shooting, the Washington Free Beacon reported. Both cases involved violent offenders reoffending within months of walking free.
