Laguna Beach man pleads not guilty to murdering his mother
A 34-year-old man pleaded not guilty Friday to a murder charge in the death of his mother last month at the Laguna Beach home they shared, according to court records.
Matthew Bryson McDonald was arrested after his mother, Megan Estes Hampton, 61, was found dead Aug. 18 after a neighbor arrived at Hampton’s home to depart together for a 10:45 a.m. service at Laguna Beach’s Church by the Sea, as they did every Sunday.
Megan Hampton was the conservator of her adult son, Matthew Bryson McDonald, who has catatonic schizophrenia, according to court documents. He is accused of killing her Sunday at the Laguna Beach home they shared.
McDonald was arraigned two days later on one count of murder with a sentencing enhancement allegation of use of a deadly weapon, a knife, according to court records. He didn’t enter a plea at that time.
Police responded to Hampton’s home in the Laguna Terrace Park mobile-home community. Social media users who said they live nearby reported hearing screaming coming from the home before her body was found. Neighbors told police they’ve overheard multiple verbal disputes between the mother and son.
Neighbors told investigators that they saw McDonald leave the home quickly in Hampton’s car, backing into a mailbox before speeding off. Neighbors said it was unusual since McDonald hadn’t driven for several months.
Less than an hour after Hampton’s body was discovered, McDonald was stopped by Orange County sheriff’s deputies in San Clemente with blood on his clothing, a law enforcement source told the Los Angeles Times.
Hampton was the conservator of her son, who has catatonic schizophrenia and “requires direction to maintain consistent grooming habits, requires assistance in preparation of meals, is unable to drive and is unable to handle his personal affairs,” according to court documents.
Megan Hampton, a 61-year-old resident of the Laguna Terrace Park mobile-home community at 30802 S. Coast Hwy., was found dead in her home shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday, authorities said.
“She loved him, did everything in her power to try to get him help and improvement, diet and therapy and all kinds of things,” said pastor Jay Grant of Church by the Sea. “I’ve never known a mother as devoted as Megan Hampton was to Matthew.”
McDonald is being held at Orange County Jail with bail set at $1 million. He is scheduled back in court Nov. 8, according to court and jail records.
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