Published: March 30, 2006 02:08 pm         

How long is life?

Convicted murderer to get chance at parole

TUTTLE — It happened about 24 years ago, but those who knew her can’t forget.

“I just think about the horror that she went through,” said Tuttle fifth grade instructor Denise Sims, who once taught a little girl named Audra - a girl whose death left a community reeling. Many are still looking for answers to what happened back in 1982.

That was the year when Audra Lynn Matheny, 11, was brutally raped and suffocated in her home. Later that year, Steven Wilson - the child’s own stepfather -was convicted of the crime.

Many years have passed since Wilson, now 55, was sentenced to life in prison by a Grady County judge. Now, he is up for parole - an idea that is troubling many people.

From Gary Forbis, who was the first EMT on the scene, to Marissa Pace, one of Audra’s classmates or Dennis Meyer, who rented a home to the family and eventually testified against Steve Wilson, many want the convicted murderer to stay behind bars. That sentiment is echoed by Audra’s family, some of whom have traveled from other states to speak at subsequent parole hearings.

“She was crazy about him - she called him ‘Daddy Steve,’” said Audra’s aunt, Glenda Reynolds. “He betrayed that.”

Wilson, who is currently incarcerated at the James Crabtree Correctional Center in Helena, Okla., refused interview requests from the Tuttle Times. Wilson’s son and Audra’s half-brother, Shawn Wilson, said that his father has claimed to have had nothing to do with the murder. Shawn was four years old and at home with his father and sister when Audra was killed.

Audra and Shawn’s mother, Linda Notzon, still can’t believe that she entrusted her daughter to a rapist and a murderer, and she said part of her still hopes that Wilson did not commit the crime, although she admitted in court that he was certainly capable. If her ex-husband is guilty, she said, he should never come out of prison.

“My daughter can never come out the grave,” she said. “Why should he walk free?”

According to the state parole board, Steve Wilson’s hearing will be held at Lexington, Okla. sometime during April 18-21. Audra’s father, Charles Matheny, is planning on making the trip from Bastrop, La., along with other family members. Shawn Wilson and Linda Notzen are considering making the trip from California.

The Tuttle Times will be taking a close-up look at the life and death of Audra Matheny, and the impact on those who cared about her, in the coming weeks, culminating with coverage of the parole hearing.