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Background: A section of Ivy Hill Drive in Arlington, Texas (Google Maps). Inset left: Matthew Stuart (Laurel Land – Rose Hill Memorial Park and Funeral Home). Inset middle: Reid Rothenberg (Lon Evans Corrections Center). Inset right: George Nitsche (Laurel Land – Rose Hill Memorial Park and Funeral Home).
A Texas man has been sentenced for a brutal crime spree that left two people dead after he forcibly entered a home and committed two murders.
Reid Rothenberg, 37, was found guilty of capital murder by a Tarrant County jury for the deaths of 41-year-old Matthew Stuart and 84-year-old George Nitsche. According to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, Rothenberg received an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole following the verdict.
The tragic events unfolded on April 10, 2022, at a residence on Ivy Hill Drive in Arlington, Texas. Inside were Stuart, Nitsche, and Stuart’s 67-year-old mother, who was also Nitsche’s former wife.
In a violent and unexpected attack, Rothenberg broke through the front door of the home. Once inside, he fatally shot Nitsche, who was resting on a couch at the back of the house, completely unaware of the imminent danger.
“He never saw it coming,” stated Assistant District Attorney Matt Rivers, painting a grim picture of Nitsche’s final moments for the jury during the trial.
Rothenberg proceeded to “chase” Stuart and his mother into the home’s front yard, “firing repeatedly.”
Officers with the Arlington Police Department responded to the home just after midnight on April 11, 2022, and found the three victims. Nitsche was pronounced dead at the scene, while Stuart and his mother were rushed to an area hospital. Stuart was pronounced dead at the medical facility, but his mother survived.
“All of the victims were members of the same family,” the police department said at the time.
About two months later, police announced they had arrested Rothenberg in connection with the shooting. The law enforcement agency said that “following a thorough investigation and review of the evidence, detectives were able to connect Mr. Rothenberg to the crime and believe he knew at least one of the victims.”
It is unclear, however, what Rothenberg’s suspected motive was.
Tad Schmidt, another Tarrant County assistant district attorney, stated that “this is not just a killing,” adding, “this is a brutal homicide by someone who came to kill that night.”