Patrick Wade Bearup

Parties

• Patrick Wade Bearup — convicted of killing Mark Mathes.
• Mark Mathes (40) — killed after being beaten, shot, and thrown off a cliff in the remote Crown King area north of Phoenix.
• Jessica Nelson — lived with Mark Mathes at the time of the killing; suspected Mark of stealing money from her; asked Sean Gaines, Patrick Bearup, and Jeremy Johnson for help; plotted with the group to “take care of this matter”.
• Sean Gaines — beat and shot Mark Mathes; armed himself and left for Nelson’s house; awaiting trial.
• Jeremy Johnson — beat and shot Mark Mathes; pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and kidnapping charges.
• Jessica Nelson’s — Bruce and Marie Mathes owned the home where the money was missing and where the confrontation began; Bruce asked Nelson to retrieve a ring he had previously given Mark as a present.
• Bruce and Marie Mathes — owners of the home where the confrontation occurred.
• Bruce and Marie Mathes’s daughters — Bruce left the residence with his daughters after receiving Nelson’s call.
• Sheena Ramsey — Bearup’s ex-wife; received a description from Bearup about going with friends to beat up a man who had stolen a ring; Bearup said the person was killed and he helped dispose of the body.
• An ex-girlfriend — overheard Bearup laughing as he talked about cutting off the victim’s finger; he seemed amused when he told her about the act.
• Presiding Judge — Hon. Warren J. Granville.
• Prosecutor — Paul Ahler.
• Defense Counsel — G. David Delozier Jr.

Timeline

• February 2002 — Jessica Nelson discovered money missing from her room and suspected Mark Mathes; Nelson contacted Sean Gaines; Gaines instructed Nelson to call back when Mark returned home; Gaines, Jeremy Johnson, Patrick Bearup, and Jessica Nelson confronted Mark; Mark was beaten, stuffed into a trunk, taken to an isolated area near Crown King, thrown over a guardrail, and shot twice.
• February 2, 2007 — Sentencing.
• January 29, 2007 — Verdict.
• November 6, 2006 — Start of Trial.
• February 5, 2007 — Death sentence.

Background

• In February 2002, Jessica Nelson discovered money missing from her room.
• Nelson suspected Mark Mathes had taken it.
• Nelson called Sean Gaines and told him of her suspicion.
• Gaines instructed Nelson to call back when Mark returned home.
• After the conversation, Nelson told Bruce and Marie Mathes, the owners of the home, that Gaines and “the boys” — Jeremy Johnson and Patrick Bearup — were going to confront Mark about the missing money.
• Bruce and Marie expected Mark to receive a “butt whooping” when Gaines, Johnson, and Bearup arrived.
• Bruce asked Nelson to retrieve a ring he had previously given Mark as a present.
• When Mark returned home that evening, Nelson called Gaines and told him that Mark was back.
• Nelson then alerted Bruce and Marie that “the boys” were coming, so Bruce left the residence with his daughters.

The offence

• After receiving Nelson’s call, Gaines and Johnson armed themselves and left for Nelson’s house.
• Johnson testified that they brought weapons because they “knew there was going to be a confrontation” and they were going “[t]o take care of business.”
• On the way, Gaines and Johnson stopped at a convenience store to meet Bearup.
• As the men got back in their cars, Bearup proclaimed, “Let’s go play, boys.”
• Johnson understood this statement to mean they were going “[c]ause trouble.”
• The three men got out of their vehicles and approached the Mathes home.
• Gaines carried a loaded shotgun, Johnson had an aluminum baseball bat, and Bearup had a folding knife with a nine- or ten-inch blade.
• The men advanced across the backyard toward Mark, who was sitting on the rear patio with Nelson.
• Bearup, Johnson, and Gaines surrounded Mark.
• Johnson attacked Mark with the baseball bat, striking him in the head and upper torso as many as twenty-five times.
• Bearup maintained his location throughout the assault, preventing Mark from leaving.
• The witnesses disagreed about whether Mark was alive following the beating.
• Nelson was certain that Mark was killed on the patio, while Johnson claimed that Mark was still conscious and groaning.
• After the attack, Johnson and Bearup dragged Mark to one of the cars and stuffed him in the trunk.
• Bearup kicked Mark’s head to make him fit into the trunk.
• The four perpetrators got into two vehicles — Bearup and Nelson in Bearup’s car, and Johnson and Gaines in the vehicle containing Mark’s body — and drove to an isolated area near Crown King.
• Johnson testified that he heard Mark mumbling and moaning in the trunk during the drive.
• When the cars stopped on Crown King Road, Bearup pulled Mark from the trunk.
• Gaines and Nelson stripped him to make the body more difficult to identify.
• Nelson was unsuccessfully attempting to remove Mark’s ring when Bearup approached and cut off the finger with a pair of wire clippers.
• Mark was thrown over the guardrail.
• While Mark lay in the ravine below, Gaines shot him twice.
• After the killing, the assailants returned to their vehicles and departed for Phoenix.
• Bearup stopped at a gas station and then drove Nelson home.

Investigation

• After Nelson returned the ring to Marie, Bearup told Marie that she did not have to file a missing person’s report because Mark would never be found.

Arrest

• The record provided did not state an arrest.

Trial

• Start of Trial: November 6, 2006.
• Verdict: January 29, 2007.
• Presiding Judge: Hon. Warren J. Granville.
• Prosecutor: Paul Ahler.
• Defense Counsel: G. David Delozier Jr.
• Bearup, Sean Gaines, Jeremy Johnson, and Jessica Nelson beat and shot Mark Mathes.
• Jessica Nelson suspected that Mark Mathes was stealing money from her.
• Nelson asked Gaines, Bearup, and Johnson for help.
• The four plotted to “take care of this matter”.
• Johnson and Nelson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and kidnapping charges.
• Gaines was awaiting trial.

Sentencing

• Sentencing: February 2, 2007.
• The court found aggravating circumstances including:
  • Prior conviction of a serious offense.
  • Especially heinous, cruel or depraved.

Appeals

• The record provided did not state appeals.

Outcome

• Patrick Wade Bearup was sentenced to death.

Aftermath

• In February 2002, Bearup told his ex-wife, Sheena Ramsey, that he had gone with friends to beat up a man who had stolen a ring, but the person was killed and he helped dispose of the body.
• Bearup also told an ex-girlfriend about the killing.
• The ex-girlfriend overheard Bearup laughing as he talked about cutting off the victim’s finger, and he seemed amused when he told her about the act.