Matthew Edgar caught after over a year of hiding

HEMPHILL, Texas -- A Sabine County, Texas man who has been on the run for almost a year following his murder conviction is back in custody. The Sabine County Sheriff' Office on Thursday night announced the arrest of Matthew Hoyt Edgar, 26. Edgar was apprehended around 8:30 p.m. by the U.S. Marshals Service. He was taken to the Sabine County Jail to await formal sentencing. Edgar already knows his fate even though he wasn't around to hear the jury's decision. He was on trial in January in the shooting death of his estranged girlfriend, Livye Lewis, 19, of Zwolle, on Oct. 31, 2020. He was in court as the trial started, but on the third day he was a no-show. Edgar's first-degree murder trial went on without him as dozens of law enforcement officers began searching for him. The multi-agency effort continued as the trial resumed. The jury convicted Edgar despite his absence. Jurors also handed down a 99-year sentence.