A 20-year-old man is accused of murder after DeSoto police say he attacked his ex-girlfriend and fatally stabbed her in the face and body outside of her home overnight Monday.
DeSoto police detective Pete Schulte said Tuesday afternoon that when 21-year-old Mason Varela returned home from walking her dog at about midnight Tuesday she was brutally attacked and left for dead in front of her home by her ex-boyfriend of four years, 20-year-old Matthew Gonzalez.
Schulte said the couple broke up about a month and a half ago and that when Varela arrived at her home on Greenbriar drive, Gonzalez began stabbing her in the face and body with a knife.
"We don't have any indication there was any argument. It just was he went up and attacked her," Schulte said Tuesday.
Varela's stepfather told police he was inside the home at the time, came outside and made eye contact with Gonzalez. He said he then looked down and saw his step-daughter bleeding on the ground.
Varela's family called 911 and said their daughter had been repeatedly stabbed and was struggling to survive. Schulte said Varela, in her final moments, repeatedly told her stepfather that, "It was Matthew. It was Matthew. It was Matthew."
An ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital, but she died on the way.
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Varela's stepfather told police he'd seen Gonzalez outside the home and that he left the area in his Nissan Altima.
Schulte said investigators tried to contact Gonzalez but were unable to reach him. After discovering evidence at the scene they believe Gonzalez tried to hide, police had a warrant issued for his arrest.
"We do believe, based on the evidence that we have learned today, that this was a calculated, cold-blooded murder of Miss Varela. That Mr. Gonzalez waited for Miss Varela to return from walking her dog to her home. He approached her. He brutally attacked her with a knife, or some other sharp object, where she fell to the ground and finally died," Schulte said. "We're confident that Mr. Gonzalez committed this murder."
Officers later tracked Gonzalez down and took him into custody in Irving. Schulte said Gonzalez made no statements to police and is exercising his right to remain silent. He was transferred to Dallas County Jail Tuesday night.
Schulte said investigators have learned of a previous incident in Dallas where Gonzalez allegedly threatened Varela with a knife.
The investigation into the murder is ongoing, police said.
