48 Hours - The Many Cons Of Mr Wonderful

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

Nicknamed "Mr. Wonderful" by one of his victims, Matt Mathews repeatedly conned and defrauded numerous women he was romantically involved with, often after marrying them. Despite multiple arrests and convictions, his pattern of deception continued over decades, leaving a trail of financially and emotionally devastated victims. “48 Hours" Correspondent Susan Spencer reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 5/29/2000. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

48 hours. We take you there. Deanna thought Matt Matthews was the man of her dream. He was really sort of this night and shining armor. But so did Diane. And I became Diane Matthews. And Carrie and dozens of other women. Susan Spencer reports. What did you find out later?

That he probably had seven or eight marriages before me. He stole their hearts. Everybody thought he was just Mr. Wonderful. Mr. Wonderful. Then he stole their money. He took everything I had. He may have conned hundreds of victims. Eight or nine thousand dollars. Nineteen hundred dollars. Over twenty thousand dollars. How did he do it? What did he tell you about his marital status?

That he had never been married. Never found the right woman. This guy's good. He knows how to get in. And once he gets in, he can do a lot of damage. You won't believe the stories he told. He told me that he was a race car driver. He delivered approximately 53 babies. He had worked for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a football player. And there's more.

We also claim to be a pilot, a Navy SEAL, and a paramedics. Now are these women about to get revenge? I want to nail them. Mr. Wonderful. Most people probably think they can spot a con man coming from a mile away. But what if the con artist in question is so smooth, so irresistible, so good at what he does, that you never have a chance to even realize that you're being taken for a ride and your money. How could any man be so cold, so calculating, not to mention so charming, that he could

fool dozens of women, maybe more, leading all of them down a path to heartache? The escapades of one all-to-accomplished conman, one who has spent his entire adult life-shattering lives, financially and emotionally. We've spent a year on covering his intricate web of lies. You'll be amazed at the stories he told and got away with. But now, after so much deception, will some of his unsuspecting victims finally get a measure of revenge?

Susan Spencer takes you on the trail of tears, left by a man who so many women once believed was Mr. Wonderful. He has the ability to make you think you are the most special woman in the world. He made me feel very special. Like you were the only woman on her. Absolutely.

He would just sit there and listen to you and always respond with exactly what you wanted to hear. When you listen to the women who have loved him, it's clear. Matt Matthews can turn on the charm. Have you ever met anybody as attentive as he was? Never. Unfortunately, these women learned too late

that this prince charming has a dark side. His charm all part of a calculated act. Matt's a sociopath. He's a pathological liar. He's a sick man. Designed to separate them from their money, no matter what the consequences. He tears you up into little bitty pieces,

and then you feel like you're just nothing. This man has really, really hurt a lot of people. That's why a lot of people are going to laugh Edward Matthews. have been waiting a long time to see this. Matt Matthews in court in Orange County, California, where he'll face charges for allegedly conning eight of his girlfriends. He told me that he was a battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry.

Out of tens of thousands of dollars. He told me he had been an Indy 500 driver. And had been a Navy seal. He delivered approximately 53 babies. Using elaborate scam. He told me that he was in financial trouble. told me that he loved me. You loved him?

Yes. Sixty-one-year-old Matt Matthews is no run-of-the-mill Romeo, but a career con artist with an incredible history. He's been married at least 11 times, and prosecutors say he's probably scammed hundreds of people. He had just finished serving his third jail term for theft by fraud when he set up shop here in an Ocean View home in the Southern California community of Monarch Summit.

We love it here. We really love it here. It's so quiet. His neighbor, Patty Tiernan... This is Matt's house here, by the way. Was as impressed as anyone when Matthews first moved in. Matt was hired to remodel my homes. And how had you heard about him in the first place? Just in the neighborhood, he was the neighborhood Golden Boy.

He did everybody's home. Everybody thought he was just Mr. Wonderful. They just thought he could do anything. You know, they were... So he was very popular. Oh. They were introducing him to their daughters. It was through one of the neighbors that Deanna Petruco,

a divorced mother of... mother of two met Matthews on a blind date. Conversation was extremely easy with this man. It was like I had known him a long time. What kind of courtship was this? Very fast. He seemed to want to see me all the time. He was really sort of this night and shiny armor.

And that's not all he was. He claimed to be a battalion chief with the California State Department of Forestry. He had a red truck with a license plate that read, I Rescue for you. He told me that he was a race car driver and that he had raced professionally at the Indy 500. He also claimed to be a pilot, a Navy SEAL, an aerial skier, and a paramedics. Deanna was also impressed by the attention he paid to her children.

I am very family-oriented. Oh, go, I've got the floor now. Thank you. And he always would take us out as a family. And it was really nice. That's a very healthy point. The only thing that really did kind of throw me for a loop is about, I believe, after a month after seeing him, he said he wanted to marry me. A month after? A month, yes.

And I said, you know, madam, that's quite flattering. I said, but you don't know me, and I sure as heck don't know you. What did he say to that? He says, well, you're just the pipe of person I want. And if there's anybody who should have recognized a bad investment. Hi, everybody. It's Deanna. We have our debit and credit side.

She teaches business and accounting courses. Okay, and what's cash? It's an asset. He was saying that he was having some trouble getting money from some customers in his construction business. So Deanna allowed her then-boyfriend to use her credit to purchase a BMW car and motorcycle. He had also told me that his previous wife

had really taken him to the cleaners, and that's why he didn't like credit cards. And then came the loans. I lent him some money for a dental implant, and the other was to pay off his truck. The grand total, well over $20,000. And the effect of cash going down is obviously a negative. Did you really think he was going to pay you back?

In my heart, I really wanted to believe it, but my mind was saying, you know, Deanna, I don't think this guy is going to do what he says he's going to do. And then I'd say, but look at who his friends are. Look at who he's surrounded by. Look at who likes him. Look at this. Look at that.

And, you know, I'd say, okay. By this time, though, Matthews' admiring neighbors in Monarch Summit had gotten a look at this. This is the information that was actually dropped in my neighbor's mailbox. Someone who recognized Matt was spreading the lurid details of his criminal past throughout the neighborhood. This is a mugshot that dates clear back to 1977. Their golden boy was a con man. We were floored. Mr. Wonderful didn't seem so wonderful anymore.

He conned everybody. He makes a fool of you. Deanna Petruco had no idea she was being conned until out of the blue. I got that faithful call from Jerry Franklin. That changed my life. Jerry Franklin is a deputy district attorney in Santa Barbara. He prosecuted Matt Matthews for grand theft more than 20 years ago. His advice to Deanna? You should get a lawyer and you should go to the police.

But why is a prosecutor some 150 miles away so determined to see this character from his past brought to justice. Well, it has everything to do with the fact that he is doing it again. Part of the answer lies in the heartbreaking tales Franklin has heard over the years from Matthews' victims, like ex-wife, Carrie Rogers. This is Matt? Yeah. And her sons, Michael and Jason. This guy's good. He knows how to get in. And once he gets in, he can do a lot of damage. Their story, when 48 hours continues. How could a man make a career out of taking something like love and making it so trivial. There he is.

Did you arrive early? You can't find your little brother was late as usual. For Carrie Rogers, Oh, really. Her two sons, Mike and Jason. Oh my God, is that me back there? These photos from the summer of 1976 remember that bring back long buried memories.

Playing ball in the park with Matt. Of some of the happiest and the most painful moments of their lives. This is Matt? Yeah. Yes. Matt and I. That was the year Matt Matthews came along and swept all three of them off their feet. What was the situation when Matt Matthews walked into your life?

My situation was pretty bad. I was a single mother. I wasn't getting any child support. So in order for us to survive, I was working a minimum of 10 hours a day. And my boys were left pretty much on their own. Jason was just seven. Mike, 15. And then Matt came along. All of a sudden here's this man who's not only charming and sweet and loving towards me,

but thinks my children are just wonderful and wants to spend time with him. At the time you met him, did he have a job? No, he told me that he was the beneficiary of a trust fund. So he didn't have to work. And his hobby was driving race cars. For Matt, it was a typically speedy, In the courtship, within a few months, they were married. I went to work and he stayed home and took care of the boys.

I felt like a real kid who had a dad. For Mike and Jason, Matt was the father they had always longed for. He just had it all. He had all the passion that a father is supposed to have. And even more. And to be a race car driver too, it was so much more exciting than anything I'd ever known. That's a kid having fun.

That's a kid in love. Oh, definitely. Gosh. The magic of that summer, this one here was Grand Canyon, lasted through August and a three-week camping trip. We covered like six western states. But when the family came home, the spell was abruptly broken. We came back, and there's all of these messages to find out what's going on. Why aren't we getting payments?

It turned out that the husband, who claimed to be living off a trust fund, actually had been using Carrie's credit, behind her back, and he owed money to stores all over town. How much money are we talking about? It eventually totaled over $20,000. Carrie demanded that Matthews pay back the money. When he refused, I wanted to stop him. She had him arrested. That's when Santa Barbara Deputy DA Jerry Franklin first got him in his sights.

That was something he was going to use in a courtship display. Franklin started asking questions about Matt Matthews's courtships. What did you learn about him as you went along? Well, he kept every name and address that he had written down for the past no tenor, 15 years in these two little address books. Why he didn't trash them, I don't know, but I don't know why Nixon didn't burn the tapes. He made some phone calls.

I'd ask if they knew Matt Matthews, and their words were usually something like, know him, let me tell you about him. And they did. Many of them, in fact, had married him. What did he tell you about his marital status? That he had never been married. Never, ever.

Never, ever. Never found the right woman. What did you find out later? That he probably had seven or eight marriages before me. Not only was Carrie wife number eight. He would leave one woman and go marry another, and so a good many of his marriages were bigamist, sometimes two or three times over. The whole situation infuriated Jerry Franklin, who doggedly pursued victim after victim,

and in 1977 persuaded five more women besides Carrie Rogers to press charges. Every moment that he spent in California was spent stealing from someone or setting up a theft to be committed. The specific charges against him theft by false pretense, a form of fraud. Why is this a crime? What's the fraud? The fraud is making representations about yourself, your ability to repay. How did he represent himself? Just period. A set a variety of things. He was an heir to the Goodyear Tire fortune. Oh.

Franklin says all the women had heard the same stories, that he had an inheritance. The money, alas, tied up in a family squabble, that he raced professionally. and needed cash to get ready for the season. He had all the props, and it looked so real. But none of it was real. Matt Matthews finally pled guilty to grand theft and began serving a two-year sentence. When it was over with, I eventually found a way

to make the financial problems go away. I had to declare bankruptcy. But the emotional turmoil afterwards, how do you fix something like that? How do you make it all better? Did you love him like a father? Yeah, yeah, I did. Do you remember a moment when you realized this isn't real?

I remember him just being gone one day, and that was it. That was the last time I saw him. For me, going back to my own father, I didn't feel like I was worth enough, that I wasn't wanted, that I was abandoned again. This guy's good. He knows how to get in. And once he gets in, he can do a lot of damn... But that was not the end of Mr. Wonderful.

Even as he went off to jail, there was a new woman waiting for him. I believe that it was all some kind of a mistake, you know. I wanted it to be a mistake. Diane McEwen learned it was not a mistake. I lost everything, and I was devastated. Now, after 20 years, she's hoping to come face to face with the man who betrayed her. Hey, Matt. Next.

I thought he was out of my life in every respect. every respect. Today, Hello there. Diane McEwen is on her way to watch Matt Matthews go on trial. I'll meet her at the courthouse for breaking the hearts and bank accounts of Deanna Petruco and seven other women. I'm a little bit excited.

For me, it feels like I'm putting a little closure on something that's been open for a long time. Because 20 years ago, Matt Matthews shattered her world. I'm a little nervous. I would like to just look him in the eye and tell him the effect. tell him the effect that he's had on my life. Not that I think it makes any difference to him. He took everything I had and walked away and left me there and never looked back. I'm glad my sister's meeting me here.

Hi, San. As early as usual. Thanks for coming there. Are you surprised that more than 20 years later you find yourself still talking about this guy? Absolutely. I could not believe it. He tells new girlfriend's lies to impress them. I got a call from my sister. from my sister. And then this modern Don Juan steals money from them. She said, go turn on the television.

Matt's on. And there he was. Actually, it looked pretty good, still doing it. Women involved, women putting up his bail, women holding his hand. In the clip I saw on television, I could see him looking at this woman and letting her know she was special, she was different. And you know, that's her a month or a year from now, or eventually, she's going to be another story. Poor thing. Just another chapter. Back when Matthews was on trial in Santa Barbara in 1977, Diane was the girlfriend holding his hand. I can remember when I used to walk into the courthouse, he used to wink at me.

Even as she heard the overwhelming evidence against him. I believe that it was all some kind of a mistake. Of crimes against his eighth wife, Carrie, and other women. I wanted it to be a mistake. Diane believed in Matt. I had an investment in him being a certain person and I did not want to see him. anything that didn't fit in with that picture. And what was that picture?

Well, he told me that he was a race car driver. Sound familiar? That he had money that was tied up in a trust fund. He was also a mechanic for exotic cars. Now he was a prison inmate, but Diane was waiting. You waited for him for 18 months. Yes. Did you have any doubts?

No. None. And he kept telling me, you know, I've been involved with a lot of women in my life. I've made a lot of mistakes, but you know, I want you to know that I really love you, and you've made such a difference in my life. And my heart wanted to hear those things. You know, I always wanted to make a difference in somebody's life, and that's what I felt like I was doing.

Two months after Matt was released, they married. And I became Diane Matthews, and I was just on top of the world. This is a very nice picture. That's me, and that's Matt. When you were talking about the early days with him, your face lights up. I mean, you were in love. Yes. You really love this guy.

I really did. And they had ambitious plans for the future. He talked me into refinancing my property and building on it. But as construction began, Diane got the first hint that things were not what they seemed. Two of my very good friends that I work with said, you know, Diane, we got to talk to you. Her friends told her what Matt really was doing each night when he said he was at work. I went back home and I called this maintenance station where he told me he was working. Well, they never heard of him.

I had been packing his lunch for him to go to work, and he was going over and staying with another woman. Almost as soon as she discovered Matt was cheating on her, she discovered he also was writing checks to himself. The contractors now are asking me for money for things that I thought had been paid, and when I went to the bank, there was no money. Diane's life collapsed. I couldn't hold on to my house. And she couldn't have her husband arrested for using up their joint account. But she could and did file for divorce. So you were left literally with nothing at all.

I was living on the charity of friends. She admits though that even then, I kept thinking that somehow rather this was all going to get straightened out. You're in the process of getting a divorce in this guy. I was in the process of getting a divorce. He has completely taken everything you own in the world. Right. And you still believe. I still believe.

Only after years of hard work did Diane get her life back together. Where? Where was she admitted? Her experience inspired her to become a mental life. health nurse. I sure, I need some help with some benefits. And she recently received her master's degree in psychology. Well, there he is. Oh, he definitely did not look.

He was looking down. Obviously just had his hair cut. He was very spruced up, ready for his big day. It's a day in court that Diane herself was deprived of 20 years ago. Is this vengeance? Is this vindication? What is this? Well, not, I suppose, vindication.

I suppose vindication more than vengeance. You know, I don't have a lot of anger anymore. I would just like my last picture of him in my mind as I close the door. Him going off the jail, I think it's rather fitting. That will be up to a jury. Our cameras aren't allowed in the courtroom for jury selection, but Diane is. Hey, Matt. But if Diane was hoping for an apology, she's disappointed again.

No smile, no. He doesn't really have any feelings. I truly believe that. Still, her strongest feelings today aren't about him, but about his other victims, past, present, and future. You know, there was a part of me, I'd kind of like to say something to Jane Jones, the woman that he's with now, and just say, you know what?

I waited for two years for him to get out of prison. We were going to start life new, and he was going to make all this up to me, and, you know, eight months later I was in bankruptcy. I was in bankruptcy. But you know what? Then I thought she doesn't really want to hear it. I mean, she's where she is now. I've been there.

Later, Matt Matthews faces his latest victims in court. He was a hazmat specialist, a military pilot, had to eject out of a plane twice. But first, he did lose his mother at a young age. Why would this man choose to live a life of total deception? Our mother was his ability. his stability. The Making of a Con Man.

Next. How did Matt Matthews, the man known as Mr. Wonderful, meet many of the women that he romanced and then deceived? Well, often it would begin harmlessly enough with casual conversation, small talk in coffee houses and the like, respectable establishments. But then quickly, there would be some very big talk from Matthews about plans for a future together. Only he had very different plans for all these women all along. But now the tables could be turned for some of his victims. In a moment, you'll see and hear if they get their

revenge in court. But first, consider the mind of this career conman, a man who can love them and leave him and never look back. Here again is Susan Spencer. Matt is kind of the lemon on the used car lot of love. Investigations wanted, sir. 35 years that Walt's Wanitzer has been a private investigator. You know, you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs. He's hunted down his share of con men, but says he's never met one quite like Matt Matthews. There are literally dozens, if not hundreds,

of women and businesses that have been flim flam by Matt Matthews. Walt's had plenty of time to become an expert on Matt's MO. Matt is a gift that keeps on taking. After all, he's been on his tail, on and off for 17 years. Morning, Bonnie. How are you this morning? Matt has been an inexhaustible supply of victims

and therefore some clients for me over the years. Gentlemen, my name's Walt Zwinner. You may be the only person around who's actually made money off of Matt Matt. It's nice to meet you. That's a fact. Walt's involvement in Matt's escapades began in 1981. The marriage to Diane McEwen was over,

and Matt, it seems, wasted no time finding new victims. I was just in my office one day and a widowed school teacher came in and said that her fiance had disappeared with her Corvette and some money the missing man of course was Matt Matthews We found out that he was a con artist and as Walt investigated under every rock was another victim His jail term in Santa Barbara hadn't changed him at all before it was through there was probably 15 or 20 victims if anything Matt had refined his technique. He borrowed that suit, took the other guy's name off of it, and put his name on it.

Thanks in part to Walt, Matthews landed in jail for theft two more times in 1983 and 1990. Most of the victims, as usual, were women. But Matthews even conned a bicycle company into donating an expensive bike to a child dying of leukemia. Of course, there was no child dying of leukemia. What do you think is going on with this guy? I think that Matt Matthews is a sociopath who has to live on the edge.

But is he? You refer to him as Eddie. What was his given name? Harry Everett, Courtright, and he was always Eddie to the family. So Matt Matthews, to you, is... My father. That's myself, my mother, and Eddie. Matthews' half-sister Barbara paints a very different picture of the brother she always

called Eddie. When Eddie was two, his parents divorced, and my understanding is his father became less and less a part of his life. His mother remarried, and Barbara was born when he was nine. She remembers an apple pie and ice cream, middle American childhood. I love my brother. We were close in a lot of ways. Growing up in the suburbs of Ohio. Family vacations. I remember we go by the shore, we go swimming together with her mother. All-American boy, Boy Scout uniform? Just like any other. child that age. We always had birthday parties. We had family friends we would get together with for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In listening to you, there doesn't seem to be one thing in this childhood that you can put your finger on that explains sort of what has happened since.

Except he did lose his father at a young age and he lost his mother at a critical age. He was 14 and his mother, our mother, was his stability. Their mother died of leukemia, leaving young Eddie to be raised by his stepfather. The stepfather that years later Matthews would blame for his own life of crime. We have seen psychological reports done on your brother, where in fact

he blames your father for his low self-esteem, if you will, contending that that is what has led to a lot of his problems. Is there any truth to that? I don't know. He wasn't an outstanding student. My father was a very smart

man, so maybe he thought he never measured up to my father and maybe he's still trying to do this in some way. So why later in life would Eddie change his name to Matt Matthews, the name of his stepfather, the very man he claimed had emotionally abused him? I think it's evidence that he wasn't abused by him and that he admired him and wanted to be like him. Psychiatrist Park Dietz, an expert on the criminal mind, doubts childhood holds the clues to what makes a con man like Matthews tick. The stories of abuse that he's unfolded over the years,

are to gain sympathy. And the fact that his mother died when he was just 14 years old, that apparently had a huge impact on him. Yes, that's a hard thing, and he would have probably been sad for months when he was 14. But it has nothing to do with deciding to con women when he's 50 or 60. This guy is described by all these women

as being the most charming man they have ever met. He's able to zero in on what in their lives is going to make them relate to him. That's a classic feature of people who are emotionally empty. They find out what matters most to someone. They learn their weaknesses and then they exploit it to the fullest. And says Dr. Dietz, you usually can forget rehabilitation. Is this a compulsion of some sort? No, it's not a compulsion at all. It's a habit. And it's a habit that's been pretty successful for them. If you can live well and drive good cars and have all the women you want

until you're 60 years old, that's not bad. If you have no morals, this choice makes sense. It's a choice that doesn't make a lot of sense to the sister who hasn't seen him in almost 25 years. Eddie's had certain gifts that he could have taken a long way, and he could have certainly had a life that he didn't end up in jail. Now plenty of people want to see Matt Matthews back in jail. Matt Matthews, the gentleman sitting over there. He's facing the courtroom battle of his criminal career. He was the master manipulator. Will it stop this predator for good?

Did he want to get married to? get married to you at any point? Yes, he talked about that before the second week was over. The People versus Matt Matthews. Next. Do you have a dark curiosity? Heart starts pounding, horrors, hauntings, and mysteries is a weekly podcast hosted by me, Kailen Moore.

Each week, I'll take you on a dark journey through terrifying true urban legends, bizarre, true crime cases, chilling tales of backwoods horror and more. So if you're looking to join a passionate community of the Darkly Curious, Check out Heart Starts Pounding on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And remember, stay curious. Good morning. You ready? There's a lot of excitement in the neighborhood. It's been the buzz of the neighborhood.

We've been with us. We've been waiting for this for about two years now. Just another day in paradise. Right, kids? His neighbors in Monarch Summit gleefully admit they can't wait to see a humiliated Matt Matthews finally face the music in court. Hi! Join the group.

Everybody's here. Everybody's here. I see ya. Over the last few months, they've turned out in force for his every legal proceeding. Heikin dolls are here for the first time, I think. Just to make sure he knows exactly what they think of him. We're kind of a bunch of nice people.

And we just are very uncomfortable having a known felon. living up on our hilltop. We just want to see him get his just deserts. And so do the eight ex-girlfriends who have been convinced to come forward. Does Matt have anything he wants to say to the women who might be testifying? A result, both of extensive publicity. Are you, Mr. Wonderful? And the tireless efforts...

Sound like Walter. ...of Matt's adversaries. Including his vigilant neighbor, Patty Tiernan. When I saw him with a woman, if I saw her car, I would get her license number, and I would call that to Jerry. That's Jerry Franklin, the DA 150 miles away in Santa Barbara. Just so this person could be warned? Yeah, and he would call them.

Is it really too strong at this point to say that you've become a little bit obsessed with this man? No. Focused is the word I would prefer. But the defense calls it something else. Arrasment. Your contention basically that your client is a victim here? I have no comment to make except in the courtroom. Mr. Matthews, have anything to say?

Absolutely nothing to you. The cantankerous Marshall Schulman is a locally prominent criminal lawyer. You did nothing wrong. There's no reason. He doesn't mean anything wrong. I know. How can Matthews afford him? No problem.

His latest girlfriend, real estate agent Jane Jones, hosts his bail and bankrolls the defense. He's able to manipulate very intelligent and bright people who happen in this case to be women giving up their money. As the trial begins, Prosecutor Jim Marion describes Matthew's methodical ammo. At one point in time, he's seen five different ones at the same time. It's pretty good for somebody. It's almost 60. The defense maintains that while Matthews is no Boy Scout...

I'm dealing with a client that is not a perfect individual. His ex-girlfriends share the blame for their predicament. These people all knew what they were doing, willingly did it, close their eyes to reality. Not so, according to Deanna Petruco and the seven other women, whom 48 hours has agreed not to identify. He answered a singles ad that I put in Orange County Weekly. One by one as they take the stand from Deanna. He was teaching an elderly gentleman to fly his lear jet.

To the others. He had worked for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a football player. The jury hears a breathtaking litany of tall tales. His crew went to help the victims of the old. Oklahoma bombing. He delivered approximately 53 babies. He had a BS from Michigan. A BS. He was an equestrian rider. He was a hazmat specialist, a military pilot, had to eject out of a plane twice. The women say they believed Matt Matthews because they had no reason not to. And when he said he loved them, they believed that too. He told me he loved me within the first week.

Did he want to get married to you at any point? I talked about that before the second week was over. And because by then, they all loved him, they were more than willing to help. He said he had been working on this big construction job when he started asking for money. But right now he was short. Do you have an idea approximately how much money you lent Matthews? $8,000 or $9,000? $1,000 you needed for a mortgage. $2,500 for the dental entrance.

But no one lent Matthews as much money as this girlfriend. I care about him very much. whom the prosecution portrays as an unknowing victim in the making. Did you help Matt Matthews purchase a house? Yes. $336,000 he owes you on that house. As of today, yes. The defense says Matthews actually wanted to buy the house himself

and used the equity to pay back the women he owed. So why didn't he? He's been hounded by a person who has a vendetta. The person, Santa Barbar, Barbara D.A., Jerry Franklin. A person who has made Mr. Matthews life unbearable. And who Matt's lawyer claims thwarted those payback plans by spreading the word about Matthews' past. Furthermore, the defense argues at least one woman actually wanted him to keep the money.

Don't worry about the money. I don't need it and I can do fine about it. She told him so in a phone message three years ago. years ago and he saved the tape. I just wish different. But the ex-girlfriend sounds distraught. I would do anything to make them different, but I obviously can't. The tape is painful to hear.

I love you and I have to admit that I feel more along with you than I have ever felt in my whole life. And prosecutors say all it really proves is just how heartless Matt Matthews is. Why does he keep it? He keeps it because he's going to use it against her if he has to. There's no other reason to keep a tape like that. He doesn't leave people unscarred. That's the message Deanna Petruco and past victims like Carrie Rogers hope the jury has heard. He just continues to do it and get away with it.

I feel really strongly about this. I want to nail him. Now, Deanna and the others can only wait. I understand that jury has reached verdict. Judgment day for Matt Matthews. Would you hand all of the verdict forms to my ballot? Next, on 48 hours. Number 190, I understand a jury has reached verdicts.

After only one day's deliberations... We, the jury, in the above-entitled action, find the defendant Matt Edward Matthews, guilty of the crime of felony. A no-nonsense jury finds nothing at all wonderful about Mr. Woon. underful's crime. Grand theft as charged in count one, Deanna Petruco. The ten women and two men convict Matt Matthews on all eight counts. Six counts of theft, two of attempted theft.

Juror number ten? Juror number 11. Yes. Juror number 12. It's a stunner for defense attorney Marshall Schulman. It just amazes me, I mean, that they found him guilty of every single count. Who, as soon as the jury leaves the room, blames the women on the panel. It's telling me at least that.

okay, we're going to get you because you're a lumenizer. The only time Matt Matthews speaks for himself is to try to persuade the judge to go easy, explaining that after all, one of his past three convictions was for only a single count. One is a single count. It would have been from Los Angeles County and it would have been Santa Monica, single count. He shows no sign of remorse, has no words for his devastated victims, leaving it to his lawyer to find excuses. I think he's got a problem of some self-esteem as well, causing him to pretend that he's something that he isn't over his period of time. Maybe, Schulman suggests, a psychiatrist could better explain it to the judge.

But at the same time, I don't know if that would be effective one way or the other. That heavy sigh is the only sign of any emotion from this aging con man. He now seems resigned to his son. fate. It's an aggregate term of nine years, four months. Nine years, four months, just short of the maximum sentence and the toughest of Matthews' career, prompting his attorney this time to blast the victims. I'm satisfied. This is just a bunch of women smashing a man, but that's life. And outside the courtroom, you said in there that this was just a bunch of women smashing a man? That's right. The tirade continued.

Well, can you elaborate a little bit? There was eight of them, weren't there? Will he appeal? Would you recommend it? Absolutely. Do you mind getting the hell out of here so I can go? Thank you. By contrast, Matthews surrenders meekly. Miss Patruco? Yes.

Hi, it's Mike Kerry calling from the DA's office. Making Deanna Patruco's day. All accounts? Oh, fine, that's great. I'm wondering if they handcuffed him or not. He's humiliated a lot of women, and it would be really nice to see him humiliated. I know how it feels. really vulnerable. Can you believe we finally got that man in prison?

For his victims, foes, and former neighbors, Matt Matthews's fate is cause for celebration. We're just delighted. It's a wonderful, wonderful sentence for Mr. Wonderful. Say Matt. But the prosecutor who worked so hard to get him that sentence... I don't think he can change. Doesn't think we've seen the last of this con artist. He will continue to do the same thing unfortunately now hang on a second he got nine years four months he will be out half that time by the time he gets out of prison he's going to be 65 years old yes but and the odds are that he will be able to meet more women I guarantee you that that until the day he dies he will

be working on some calm it may not be terribly credible on he's 75 and the plumbing his porridge but he'll be trying clearly this is one story that may leave a lot of good and decent women feeling somewhat vulnerable. What to do about it? Experts in law enforcement say, if someone you're seeing gives you a reason for suspicion, if your gut tells you something just isn't right, don't hesitate to check him out, and especially if he starts asking you for money, then you may even want to hire a private investigator. If you're afraid that might ruin the relationship, the professionals say, chances are your partner will understand. that you were just trying to protect yourself, and he's likely to forgive you.

That is, if he truly is, you're Mr. Wonderful. In 2003, Matt Matthews was released on parole after serving more than four years.