Crime & Safety

Police Arrest Ex-Boyfriend in Columbia Shooting Death

The suspect was arrested in North Carolina and will be extradited, according to police.

Police have arrested a man in North Carolina in connection with the killing of a woman who was found shot to death in her car in Columbia.

Howard County Police issued a warrant for 43-year-old Ryan Patrick Matthias of Charlotte, N.C. He was taken into custody by Charlotte Mecklenburg Police on May 11. 

According to police, on May 4 at about 9:30 a.m. someone called police to report a woman in a car on the 9600 block of Basket Ring Road who “appeared to be injured.”

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When police arrived, they found 47-year-old Deborah Castellano dead in a Toyota Corolla parked in a parking lot. She had multiple gunshot wounds, according to police. 

Police knew that Castellano had recently moved to the area. During their investigation, they determined that her former boyfriend, Ryan Matthias, had harassed her. The two had been arrested in New York in March in a domestic violence incident, according to police.

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Police say Castellano’s family members said they were concerned for her safety and that even though Castellano had ended the relationship and moved to Maryland, Matthias continued to harass and stalk her.

She had not reported the harassment to Howard County police. 

According to detectives, Matthias had rented a car in North Carolina on May 3 and returned it on May 5; it had more than 1,000 miles logged on it.   

Matthias is in custody in North Carolina and will be extradited to Maryland to face charges, according to police. 

Related:

- Woman Found Shot to Death in Car in Columbia (Update)

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