Man Charged in Quadruple Homicide, Former Brick, Lehigh Valley Residents' Murders

By Sherri Lonon (Patch Staff)

The man Florida authorities singled out as a suspect in a quadruple homicide involving three former Brick, N.J. and Lehigh Valley residents now faces four first-degree murder charges.

Adam Matos was charged in the deaths of his ex-girlfriend, her parents and her boyfriend, late Monday afternoon. Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies say Megan Brown and her father, Gregory, both formerly Brick and the Lehigh Valley, were shot.

Megan’s mother Margaret, also a former Brick and Lehigh Valley resident, and boyfriend Nicholas Leonard of Florida both suffered blunt force trauma to the head.

The crime appears to have happened late last month in the time period following Megan Brown’s call to the sheriff’s office about alleged threats Matos made on her life. Megan Brown and Matos were involved at one time and had a 4-year-old son, Ismael “Tristan” Santisteban, together.

Deputies laid out a number of ties between Matos and the murders in the arrest report.

Matos, the report said, used Margaret Brown’s debit card to purchase an Ames shovel at a local Walmart on Aug. 29, one day after Megan told deputies he threatened her with a knife. He is also accused of using Margaret’s card to buy two orders of food from a Papa John’s pizza location.

The first order was placed Sept. 1 and the delivery driver told investigators Tristan was in the home. The second order was placed Sept. 2. Tristan was not seen by that driver, but he told detective he could smell a foul odor coming from the Hatteras Drive home, the arrest report said.

Matos is also accused of selling the Browns’ dogs over Craigslist between Aug. 29 and Aug. 31. The Browns were dog breeders.

The bodies of the Browns and Leonard were found Sept. 4 when Pasco County deputies conducted a welfare check at a home on Hatteras Drive in Hudson. When deputies arrived at the home, they were drawn to a foul odor coming from a nearby hill. They followed it to discover the bodies.

Tristan was nowhere to be found and a hunt for the child and Matos was launched.

With some help from the Tampa Police Department, deputies were able to track Matos and the boy to a hotel in downtown. Matos was initially charged in the aggravated assault, and the boy was turned over to family.

Matos remains in the Land O’ Lakes Jail without bond.

Photo Credit: Adam Matos/Pasco County Sheriff’s Office