JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 28-year-old man charged in the stabbing death of a Chicago Bears fan at the Jacksonville Landing last year pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder.
A sentencing hearing for Matthew Hinson is set for next week in the killing of 42-year-old William Pettry at Fionn MacCool's Irish Restaurant and Pub in October. Pettry was in town for a game between the Bears and Jaguars the next day.
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Hinson will not be sentenced next week, but a date will be set. He faces 20 years to life in prison. Prosecutors will ask for life.
Because of the perseverance of eyewitnesses and the fact several police were conducting an operation nearby, officers caught up with Hinson before he could get his pickup out of the parking garage next to the Landing after killing Pettry.
Investigators said Hinson apparently became jealous and enraged when he saw his wife talking with Pettry at the restaurant. They said he "calmly and cold-bloodedly" cut Pettry's throat, then walked out and drove away.
Pettry was a father of three young children.