On the night of February 9, 2020, a woman texted her boyfriend with the message “If you want to marry me, you have to show me who you are.” And just 10 hours later, a horrific crime occurred.
The Horrific Death
On the morning of February 10, 2020, a local fire captain on duty discovered an SUV crashed by the road near Safford, Arizona, USA. The driver lay slumped on the front seat, covered in blood. The car’s side was riddled with bullet holes. He recognized three gunshot wounds on one side of the victim’s face.
The police arrived at the scene immediately after receiving the report. Initially, they suspected the shooting was the result of a shootout, a collision between drivers on the road. However, the number of bullet holes indicated this was a personal murder.
Police found a driver’s license inside the car identifying the victim as 35-year-old Matthew Misener. The medical examiner later determined that Matthew died from three gunshot wounds to the head from a rifle. But no bullet casings were found at the scene.
Nicole Chacon – Matthew’s fiancee – quickly arrived to identify him. She said he left for work at 4 a.m. The murder was determined to have occurred around 5 a.m. When asked if anyone would want to harm Matthew, Nicole immediately thought of Georgina Misener – Matthew’s ex-wife.
Unstable Marriage
Georgina and Matthew began dating in 2011. They were a classic example of opposites attracting. While Matthew was introverted, Georgina was outgoing, with completely contrasting personalities. While Matthew grew up in a warm family, Georgina had a difficult upbringing. Her father was accused of abuse, and violence against her mother, and went to jail.
Georgina’s mother later remarried a good man. This made Georgina’s life more stable. In high school, Georgina was an excellent student with hobbies like soccer, performing in the choir, and acting.
But in her senior year, Georgina started using drugs, dropped out of school, and eventually had to go through rehab. After rehab, she met Matthew.
The two married in 2013, and soon after, Georgina became pregnant. To support his family, Matthew worked at a copper mine. They moved to Safford, Arizona, about 40 minutes away from where he worked. After their first son was born, just over a year later, Georgina became pregnant with a daughter.
By the time Georgina was pregnant with their third child, their marriage was crumbling. Matthew had to work long hours while Georgina struggled at home with two small children. Eventually, they divorced in 2017.
After the split, Georgina took their two children to her parents’ home in Tucson. In December of that year, she gave birth to their third child. Custody became an issue the couple couldn’t agree on.
The court awarded joint custody to both. Matthew happily accepted and complied with the court’s ruling, but Georgina always caused trouble and wanted supervision whenever her ex-husband was with the kids.
The Suspicious Ex-Wife
Not long after the divorce, Matthew Misener began dating his colleague Nicole Chacon. They got engaged in 2019 and planned to marry in March 2020. But that day of happiness never came when Matthew was shot dead on his way to work early in the morning on February 10, 2020.
Nicole said that six months earlier, Matthew’s ex-wife Georgina Misener claimed to have cancer and sent Matthew photos of herself with a shaved head. Georgina said she had to undergo chemotherapy and the medication was giving her severe headaches.
Seeing this, Matthew offered to help his ex-wife. However, Georgina used it as an excuse to limit Matthew’s visitation rights with their children. Once, when Nicole confronted Georgina, she was slapped by Matthew’s ex-wife. A confrontation ensued between the two women.
Georgina filed a complaint against Matthew and Nicole with Child Protective Services, alleging that they mistreated and abused their children. But after investigating the allegations, CPS determined Georgina’s accusations were unfounded.
Concerned about his ex-wife’s physical and mental health, Matthew decided to file for full custody of the children in February 2020. On February 11, the custody hearing was scheduled to take place. Matthew believed he would gain some rights from his ex-wife. However, just one day before, he was killed. Georgina became a suspect with a motive to prevent that from happening.
Gun Found in Bedroom
A witness said they saw a white sedan leaving the scene. Nicole said that five days earlier, when Matthew went to see the children, he noticed a man also in a white sedan secretly taking photos of his car. He took a picture of the car’s license plate and sent it to Nicole.
From this license plate, the police traced the car back to two men in Tucson. They were Eduardo Montano Jr. and his grandfather – Samuel. Eduardo had two misdemeanor warrants and had been arrested.
Eduardo admitted to briefly dating Georgina. He knew she and her ex-husband were fighting over custody but denied taking pictures of Matthew’s car.
Eduardo claimed to know about Matthew’s death but insisted he had no involvement. He said he went out with friends that night and returned to his grandfather’s house, where he lived.
However, Eduardo’s grandfather’s statement contradicted his grandson’s. Samuel said Eduardo wasn’t home all night, leaving at 10 p.m. on February 9 and not returning until 8 or 8:30 a.m. the next morning.
Aligning the timelines, the police realized the shooting occurred around 5 a.m., giving Eduardo enough time to drive the three-hour journey from the scene back to his grandfather’s house.
Upon searching Eduardo’s bedroom, the police found a rifle. Forensic examination confirmed it as the weapon used in Matthew’s murder. Eduardo was immediately arrested on charges of murder.
Evidence on the Phone
During police interrogation, Georgina claimed that Matthew and his fiancée, Nicole, mistreated their children. Nicole even threatened and assaulted her during confrontations.
In front of the police, Georgina admitted to dating Eduardo for a month. They confided in each other about their past experiences of abuse. Eduardo expressed concern for the safety of Georgina’s children. When asked if she was involved in Matthew’s murder, Georgina refused to answer. “I don’t want to say anything else,” she said.
Checking Georgina’s phone records, the police found deleted text messages showing that she and Eduardo had been monitoring Matthew. One of the messages Georgina sent to Eduardo read: “I always think about you. I love you. Me and the kids love you.” This indicates a closer relationship than what was disclosed to the police. A few days before the murder, Eduardo sent Georgina a message saying: “Been outside Matt’s house all night and haven’t seen him.“
Fatal Love
During the investigation, the police found that Georgina had faked a cancer diagnosis, and downloaded photos from the internet to send to her ex-husband and his family to elicit sympathy.
On the night before the custody hearing, Georgina asked her boyfriend to kill Matthew to prove his love. Eduardo initially refused, but she responded, “If you want me, you have to show me who you are.” Ten hours later, Matthew was found dead.
A day after discovering the incriminating text messages, the police arrested Georgina for first-degree murder and attempted murder.
Faced with overwhelming evidence, in September 2020, Eduardo pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. He was sentenced to 33 years and 9 months in prison. Georgina appeared in court in January 2021, pleading guilty like her boyfriend. Her sentence was also 33 years and 9 months in prison.
