Woman’s family furious after probation granted to man accused of dumping her body

John Rupolo
·2 min read
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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A woman’s family still wants justice a year after her death.

Macy Peebles, 27, died of an accidental overdose, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office autopsy report.

The report said amphetamine, fentanyl and methamphetamine caused her death and it was ruled an accidental overdose. But Peeble’s family said she had no history of drug use and the case needs another look.

“Just having the answers, having the closure and having a thorough investigation into this is all my family wants,” said Ena Peebles Fulmer, Macy Peebles’ sister.

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore was asked about Fulmer’s request to open the case.

“Absolutely not,” answered Moore. “The case has been investigated thoroughly by the sheriff’s office.”

Peebles was found dead behind an abandoned apartment building in the 8800 block of GSRI Avenue in Baton Rouge on Feb. 23, 2023.

She was partially clothed wearing a black bra, black shorts and a pair of multi-colored socks, according to the coroner’s report.

“She was missing her shirt, shoe, sweatshirt, and her underwear was like inside out,” said Fulmer.

According to court documents, hours before, Damion Matthews was seen on surveillance video leaving L’auberge Casino and Hotel Baton Rouge with Peebles at around 2:30 a.m.

Matthews drove Peebles to her car and the two never got out. At 3 a.m., Matthews and Peebles drove away. Investigators said Matthews dumped her body at an abandoned apartment building just before 8 a.m.

“There was no evidence whatsoever that we could even ethically present this case to a grand jury for homicide charges,” said Moore.

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Mathews never told investigators about what happened, police say.

Judge Louise Hines gave Matthews three years probation, dropping an obstruction of justice charge relating to Peeble’s missing purse last week.

“I just feel like he’s going unpunished for all this and some jail time is appropriate in this matter,” said Fulmer.

Fulmer cites Matthews’ lengthy criminal history. Matthews had several felonies including a guilty plea of three charges of aggravated assault and illegal use of weapons charge relating to a 2007 shooting at the Mall of Louisiana.

Matthews is also facing charges in Henry County, Georgia from 2020, including theft, battery family violence and criminal trespass. The case is still pending.

Moore said Matthews was eligible for probation because he hasn’t had a felony conviction for over 10 years.

The case has drawn national attention. Peebles’ cousin posted on X, formally known as Twitter, and it’s received over 8.3 million views including an exclamation point from Elon Musk.

The post accuses Matthews of drugging Peebles. Investigators said there is no evidence of that.

“She was a good person, a happy person… fun, smiling, kind to everyone and an amazing sister,” said Fulmer.

We have reached out to Matthew’s public defender but have not heard back yet.

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