Norfolk man sentenced to 40 years in prison for fatally stabbing man on beach

NORFOLK — A Norfolk man was sentenced Friday to a maximum of 40 years in prison for fatally stabbing a man he had never met before in Ocean View Beach, prosecutors said.

A jury found Tiran Lyndell Wilson guilty of second-degree murder during his trial earlier this year. He was sentenced Friday by Circuit Court Judge Mary Jane Hall.

The murder occurred on September 2, 2022. Marcos Adan Mata-Monjaras, 46, and his wife had just arrived from Richmond that day and checked into the Best Western Plus Holiday Sands Inn and Suites on Ocean View Avenue, according to a press release. from the Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.

The couple was alone on the beach and fishing at night when Wilson approached them with a large knife, prosecutors said. Mata-Monjaras told his wife to go ahead of him to the hotel.

“For reasons unknown (and) without justification, Mr. Wilson then stabbed Mr. Mata-Monjaras in the chest,” the statement said. “Mr Mata-Monjaras called his wife, and she turned around to see him on the ground and Mr Wilson running away.

Mata-Monjaras died instantly.

CCTV footage obtained from the hotel showed Wilson, who lived in a neighboring apartment, walking around that night with a knife. He was arrested the next day at his home.

“The only reason Mr. Mata-Monjaras and his family came to Norfolk was to spend time together,” Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said in a statement. “Mr. Wilson killed a good family man for no reason, and Mr. Wilson would pose a danger if he returned to the community.

Jane Harper, [email protected]