Jim Matthews, also known as Jim Nicolai, a beloved news radio anchor from Detroit, Michigan, was killed in an attempted murder-suicide on Friday. The overnight anchor at WWJ-AM was 57.
The identity of the male murder suspect is not yet known to the public, but he is currently in the hospital. However, he is described as a “friend of the family.”
According to reports, he is 54 years old. Police sources say Matthews invited the suspect to the home before the attack.
Four people were injured during the tragic incident that happened around noon. Nicole Guertin, the 35-year-old girlfriend of the late media personality, was stabbed several times and has been hospitalized in stable condition.
Despite being seriously injured, Guertin had managed to flee the home with the couple’s five-year-old daughter, Rosie. She was the one who got a driver to call the police. The young child was also injured, but her condition was never considered serious. She is no longer in the hospital.
Authorities found the couple’s 10-year-old son, Hunter Matthews, tied in a closet with very serious injuries. The boy was beaten and suffered head trauma.
His aunt, Ashley Quigley, Guertin’s sister, wrote this update in a GoFundMe campaign: “(The son) has come through both (operations) successfully. He is still currently sedated and is staying in the Pediatric ICU. I am working on getting these kids everything they need.”
His uncle and Matthews’s brother, Joe Nicolai, described him as a brave child who tried to defend his father. Nicolai revealed in an interview with local media outlet WXYZ: “There is no motive; I don’t know why he was in the house. I talked to the lead investigator, and my brother probably came home to this. He comes home about 5:30 in the morning and was probably surprised and attacked, and I believe that Hunter… was trying to fight off this man that was attacking and trying to kill his father, and that’s how Hunter ended up injured and tied and put into a closet.”
Matthews was already dead when police arrived at the scene. The alleged attacker was found in the basement of the quiet suburban residence in Chesterfield Township, suffering from multiple self-inflicted wounds. He was also overdosing on heroin. First responders resuscitated the suspect, and he was later placed in police custody.
The investigation is ongoing, and it is not known what led to the knife attack. Colleagues have paid tribute to Matthews in statements released to the media.
Jackie Paige from the radio station said in a live statement while on the air: “He would often talk to co-workers about his children and his love for them and their adventures at school. He was a consummate professional and was dedicated to WWJ and the broadcasting industry. He loved delivering the latest news to his listeners. There have been many tears shed in our newsroom this afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jim’s family and friends.”
Charlie Langton also shared: “Something like this I never would have expected it in a million years. When he was off at 5 am, I was just coming in at 5 am, so I would see him. He always had a nice word, always had something good to say. He was just a great guy.”
The GoFundMe request is close to its $10,000 goal ($9,625) with 173 people donating.
