Former Spyrock Man Pleads to Four Separate Counts of Lewd and Lascivious Acts on a Child Under 14

This is a press release from the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office:

Matthew mccarthy

A recidvist defendant, having listened first to the prosecutor’s opening statement to the jury outlining anticipated testimony and knowing that all of the prosecution’s witnesses were in the courthouse ready to testify, decided over the lunch break to cut his losses (overall prison exposure) by accepting a plea and sentence bargain that the prosecutor had placed on the table last Friday.

Matthew Thomas McCarthy, age 49, formerly of Westport, as well as the Spyrock area of Mendocino County, plead guilty this afternoon (before the jury returned to begin hearing testimony) to four separate felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14, said crimes having been committed by the defendant against two separate then 13-year-old victims (two counts each) occurring in different years. The defendant also admitted the truth of his prior 2001 felony conviction for the same crime on yet a third victim, a young woman who was only 6 years of age at the time she was molested by the defendant.

As part of the plea and sentence bargain, the defendant accepted the DA’s take-it-or-leave-it offer of a stipulated sentence of 35 years to life in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Once the court was satisfied with the constitutionality of the change of plea, the defendant’s case was referred to the Adult Probation for a background study and report, an important document used by the CDCR for prison classification purposes when the defendant is received at San Quentin for intake and processing.

The agreed-upon state prison sentence will be formally pronounced at a sentencing hearing now set for March 9, 2018 at 9 o’clock in the morning in Department H of the Ukiah courthouse. Any person interested in this defendant or the final disposition of this case is welcome to attend that hearing.

The prosecutor handling this case and what was expected to be a many-day trial is District Attorney David Eyster. The investigating law enforcement agencies were the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the DA’s own investigators. The judge who presided over yesterday’s jury selection process, today’s proceedings, and the judge who will pronounce sentence on March 9th is Mendocino County Superior Court Judge John Behnke.

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33 Comments
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Veteran's Friend
Guest
Veteran's Friend
6 years ago

If he makes it out of San Quentin & into Avenal he will be lucky. He probably won’t☠

amimissingsomething
Guest
amimissingsomething
6 years ago

Matt McCarthy needs to be put to sleep forever. He has violated our laws against children. Why should taxpayers pay to keep this scumbag alive. Some people can’t live with rules and laws and Matt is one of those people. He needs to be put to Death!

Jaekelopterus
Guest
Jaekelopterus
6 years ago

It costs the state more to kill someone than to keep them alive, as it should. The state should not be able to take human life casually, no matter what we think that they did. Do you want Jerry Brown deciding who lives and who dies, because that’s what you seem to be begging the state for right now.

Jane doe
Guest
Jane doe
6 years ago
Reply to  Jaekelopterus

Actually it would be cheaper to execute them IF there were not lengthy appeals. I feel there should be a reasonable time frame and only one appeal NOT 12 to 20 years and numerous appeals. That is why death row is so expensive not the actual execution itself. This comment is based on information I got by interviewing an attorney

Emily
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Emily
6 years ago
Reply to  Jane doe

Well what do you think about the state killing innocent people by accident. It happens.

Jaekelopterus
Guest
Jaekelopterus
6 years ago
Reply to  Emily

Or for political reasons. Or to make quotas. Or to close cold cases. Or because state voters are judgemental, impatient, bloodthirsty monsters.

The death penalty has no measurable effect on recidivism. It doesn’t make society better. It just sacrifices human beings at the alter of Big Government.

Someone
Guest
Someone
6 years ago
Reply to  Jaekelopterus

Rapists and child molesters should be shot after a guilty verdict accompanied by dna evidence. You dont give a sexual predator another chance. But we do. Many of them. And most re offend. If we had some actual hard punishment for these creeps they might actually be afraid to do this shit to women and little girls.

Jaekelopterus
Guest
Jaekelopterus
6 years ago
Reply to  Someone

Capital punishment has never been proven to be a deterrent. It’s pure blood lust. It cheapens life.

Someone
Guest
Someone
6 years ago
Reply to  Jaekelopterus

We recognize that dogs who have acquired a taste for blood will continue to attack people, and we put the dogs down without hesitation. The same needs to be recognized for predatory humans.

Mike
Guest
Mike
6 years ago
Reply to  Jaekelopterus

Capital punishment is punishment for a crime, doesn’t mean it’s a deterrent. People who have more regard for the criminal than the innocent victims cheapen life.

B.S.
Guest
B.S.
6 years ago
Reply to  Jaekelopterus

Again, B.S.!!

Guest
Guest
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Jaekelopterus

It does not deter. It stops it cold. At least from that source. The only hitch in the idea is that surety that only the guilty are killed is very hard to come by.

There is a horror in allowing a criminal to repeat their assault on innocent people, especially children. To do that means that the victim’s blood is not only on the perpetrator’s hands but on our too.

But there is a horror too of judicial murder where the blood lies on our hands and only our hands. That we can shrug it off and forget our part in it makes it too easy a crime. We need to be ever so careful in making that kind of decision.

Divide by Zero
Guest
Divide by Zero
6 years ago
Reply to  Jaekelopterus

Really, name one executed person that committed another crime.

Antichrist
Guest
Antichrist
6 years ago
Reply to  Someone

How sexist. Molested children under the age of 5 are equal by gender fyi, also females also are guilty of abuse and molestation. Where is your compassion for males?

Freedom Club
Guest
Freedom Club
6 years ago
Reply to  Antichrist

The numbers may be equal, but I honestly feel more sorry for male victims of sexual assault and molestation because there is much less sympathy for them in society. It is truly unfortunate that it happens to anyone. I don’t know if killing him will have any deterrent factor. I am inclined to think it won’t. Given some of the reading I have done in the recent neuroscience fields we may someday come to believe that these people that commit these type of acts are simply unlucky to have the type of brain that leads them to do these things. Not saying we need to ease up on them, but I think its more of a balancing act between helping people with better mental health, while still making sure that society is safe.

Anonymous
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Someone

Amen

Lost Croat Outburst
Guest
Lost Croat Outburst
6 years ago
Reply to  Emily

It can happen; the wrong person killed. I’m still for the death penalty when crimes are especially hideous and ghastly with NO chance that DNA will change anything or a witness recant or such. It bothers me when murderers torture someone to death and then marry and or father kids in prison. Check out Ted Bundy. The victim is long dead but the perp goes on.

River Rat
Guest
River Rat
6 years ago
Reply to  Emily

nothing is perfect all the time.

Perspective
Guest
Perspective
6 years ago
Reply to  Emily

It happens, but his man has admitted his guilt.

Life is Good
Guest
Life is Good
6 years ago
Reply to  Jaekelopterus

He does decide. Please tell me you’re familiar with a Governor’s Pardon?

HOGRANCH
Guest
HOGRANCH
6 years ago
Reply to  Jaekelopterus

TELL ME WHY NOT. IN 1933 THEY HUNG A GUY IN A TREE IN FRNT OF SAN JOSE CITY HALL HIS NAME WAS THURMOND.

B.S.
Guest
B.S.
6 years ago
Reply to  Jaekelopterus

Let’s see some proof on your claim; otherwise I call this B.S.

Helllbilly
Guest
Helllbilly
6 years ago

The prison guards and police will protect him from any inmates who wish to do him harm. It’s called protective custody. He will be housed with all the rats and pedophiles. No Justice, no peace.

...
Guest
...
6 years ago

May he serve every day of the sentence.

curlybill
Guest
curlybill
6 years ago

The victims will suffer this trauma for the rest of their lives.

Will Smith
Guest
Will Smith
6 years ago

Killing him would do him a favour, you think this guy wants to be alive? Way worst to live in prison for the rest of your life.

Mendocino Mamma
Guest
Mendocino Mamma
6 years ago

Disgusting… so many creepy dudes out there like that. Crimes against children are just not acceptable. And I would imagine most likely he probably sucked up to the victims mothers and violated them as well as molesting their children. Sometimes that kind of stuff happens in the hills because there isn’t a lot of watchful eyes. Lot of folks are very trusting and everybody’s always looking for a little help. Sad situation indeed.

unbridled phillistine
Guest
unbridled phillistine
6 years ago

You see last night on news 3? That ex jail guard got charged with 4 more sex crimes! What a scumbag where do these people come from? To hear the victims were all boys! Wow hope he gets his come upins!

River Rat
Guest
River Rat
6 years ago

The guy is the scum of society. If i told you what I think should happen to him, my comment would be deleated.

Anon Forrest
Guest
Anon Forrest
6 years ago
Reply to  River Rat

Yeah, I’ve been trying to find a more acceptable way of phrasing it, too.

Good Job Eyster
Guest
Good Job Eyster
6 years ago

Remember this guy always creeping around Laytonville sometimes at Area 101. Always had the same angry creepy look on his face… thought he was a creep then and this only confirms it.. lots of old single redneck creeps in the Hills of Humboldt and Mendocino. Be careful to know who you are going to visit or work for ladies and gentlemen. Never leave your kids unattended with weirdos or strangers. Peeps on Spy rock are glad to see him locked away.

John Ripper
Guest
John Ripper
6 years ago

From my very limited experience with “diddlers”, they don`t believe they`ve done anything wrong and therefore have no remorse. A man with whom I was friends (note past tense here) I believe from various statements that he had attraction to children and thought child molesting was OK. A memorable statement was that he believed child molesting was harmless because children have no sexual feelings. Therefore, there isn`t anything there that can be harmed, that it`s like trying to set fire to a rock.

Needless to say, I ended the friendship and all contact when I realized he was serious about this and wasn`t just humor in poor taste. He was married, no children and interestingly his wife was of the appearance and physique of a young adolescent girl when she was in her 40s.