A Manhattan man convicted of first degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated battery, was sentenced Thursday afternoon in Riley County District Court.
Judge John Bosch sentenced Matthew Wilson, 43, to life in prison for the 1st degree murder of Fort Riley Soldier Michael Lowery, 155 months for the Attempted First Degree Murder of Dustin Ferguson, 155 months for the Attempted First Degree Murder of Joel Solano and the Aggravated Battery of both Christine Kim and Alexya Mailea.
Wilson will serve each sentence consecutively. He will also pay over $52,000 in restitution fees and over $4,000 in attorney fees.
During his closing statement, Wilson addressed his victims and tried to explain why he opened fire on them in the early morning hours of April 7th at the University Garden apartment complex. He described his painful childhood, broken family, alcohol abuse and long-term battle with mental illness. “I don’t know why I did it”, said Wilson, “Something in me must have finally broke. I’m so sorry.”
