Dating app meetup turns violent: Madison County man accused of shooting victims he met online

MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WAFF) - Catfishing, stalking, and luring his victims, all allegations coming out of a Madison County courtroom Tuesday.

33-year-old Kerstin Matkins is accused of aggravated assault for a November shooting in Harvest.

He faced a judge on Tuesday for his preliminary hearing while a detective shared details of the case.

Silent dashcam video obtained by WAFF 48 News speaks volumes, showing the frantic and scary moments before shots rang out while the victim’s SUV sped away.

Inside the SUV were two men, one hit multiple times with bullets and the other racing to the hospital for help.

Pictures reveal the aftermath, a blood-covered seat of this SUV.

A Madison County Detective laid out the details of his investigation into that November 11th night.

The detective told the courtroom after meeting on a dating app for a sexual encounter, the two men parked at Harvest Nature Preserve next to Matkins.

They quickly realized it wasn’t who they were talking to online.

The detective said the victims also alleged Matkins had been stalking them for some time, even showing up to their door before with a mask on.

The detective said the victims confronted him and took a baseball bat to Matkins’ back window, and that’s when he started firing.

His defense attorney said it was crystal clear, Matkins was simply protecting himself.

Prosecutor Paul Barnett disagreed, saying, “People have a right to protect themselves and that’s true and people have a right to protect themselves if they feel their life is in danger but you can’t then go nuclear and as what came out in this case, empty your clip while the car is driving away that you say presented a danger to you.”

The defense immediately asked the judge to dismiss this case, saying there was no probable cause in self-defense.

The judge disagreed based on the number of shots fired as that SUV drove off.

The case is now bound over to the grand jury.

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