On February 21, 2008, 36-year-old Ben Oxley was shot to death with a 12-gauge shotgun while sleeping in his bed in Minden, Nevada. His wife, Melissa Oxley, woke up to a loud noise, discovered the front door open, and found Ben unresponsive with fatal gunshot wounds. Ben's young daughter and Melissa's brother were also in the residence but were uninjured. After the investigation initially went cold, Ben's ex-wife, Dawn Oxley, contacted police in August 2009 asking if confessing to her ex-husband's murder would send her to prison. When re-interviewed while sober in jail in November 2009, Dawn claimed her former boyfriend, career criminal James Matlean, murdered Ben after a night of heavy drinking, though she denied asking him to do it. However, Dawn's 15-year-old son testified that Dawn explicitly instructed Matlean to kill Ben due to bitter feelings over losing custody and paying $200 per month in child support. Prosecutors granted Dawn immunity in exchange for her testimony. Matlean was arrested on June 9, 2010, and surprisingly entered a guilty plea to first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, admitting he entered the house and shot Ben. On March 26, 2012, a judge rejected the prosecution's recommended sentence with parole eligibility and sentenced Matlean to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Country: United States
State/Province: Nevada, United States
City/Region: Minden
Incident Type: Murder
Relationship Status: Divorced
Relationship Duration: Approximately 5 years (marriage)
Incident Date: Feb. 21, 2008
Relationship Origins:
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How the relationship or connection began.
Approximately 5 years (marriage)
Important relationship phases recorded for this case.
Reported red flags or early concern points.
Contributing factors and possible motives from the available sources.
2008-02-21
Recorded relationship or case outcome.
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Dr. Grande · Original language: English
Did Child Support-Hating Ex-Wife Escape Justice After Shotgun Blast Murder? | Ben Oxley Analysis
Family Opposition
The incident followed a bitter post-divorce custody and financial conflict between Ben Oxley and his ex-wife Dawn Oxley. After Ben won full custody of their daughter Alyssa and Dawn was court-ordered to pay $200 per month in child support, resentment escalated. Combined with severe alcohol use and volatile domestic dynamics, Dawn allegedly solicited her new partner, James Matlean, a repeat offender, to eliminate her ex-husband to avoid support payments and regain custody.
Investigators initially examined household residents Melissa Oxley and Craig Nichols before clearing them. The breakthrough occurred when Dawn Oxley contacted police in August 2009 while intoxicated and was later re-interviewed sober in jail following a DUI arrest. Her son Devon's eyewitness account contradicted her claim of non-involvement, leading prosecutors to grant Dawn immunity to secure James Matlean's prosecution. Matlean subsequently pleaded guilty and was sentenced on March 26, 2012, to life in prison without parole.
Early in the investigation, police faced confusion due to gunshot residue and shotgun shells found near household members inside the victim's home, alongside suspicion surrounding Melissa Oxley dating two months post-murder. Later, conflicting statements between Dawn Oxley (claiming no solicitation), Devon Mitchell (stating Dawn explicitly ordered the killing), and James Matlean (initially denying, then confessing) complicated the determination of criminal culpability.
On the night of February 20, 2008, during a heavy drinking session, Dawn Oxley expressed a desire for Ben Oxley to be dead, prompting James Matlean to offer to shoot him. Matlean traveled to Ben's home on Wild Horse Lane, entered through an unlocked door, and fatally shot Ben in his bed before fleeing. Matlean and Dawn then concealed his vehicle and established a false alibi until police re-interviewed Dawn and her son in late 2009, ultimately uncovering the conspiracy.
The presence of chronic domestic conflict, unresolved custody and child support disputes, heavy alcohol abuse, and access to an impulsive partner with a violent criminal history created severe escalation risks. The willingness to express explicit violent intent in front of household members highlighted critical behavioral red flags that preceded the fatal attack.
Unresolved custody disputes and forced financial support can act as violent triggers when combined with substance abuse and high-risk criminal romantic partners. The case highlights how immunity agreements can leave potential co-conspirators unprosecuted despite compelling testimonial evidence.
Dawn Oxley's persistent bitterness over losing custody of her daughter, her vocal resentment regarding $200 monthly child support payments, and a prior mutual domestic battery incident in June 2007 served as early indicators of intense interpersonal friction.
A key clue emerged when Alyssa Oxley reported seeing a human figure in her doorway, matching James Matlean's later confession that he entered her room briefly during the break-in. The critical narrative breakthrough came from statements made by Dawn's son, Devon Mitchell.
Key evidence included 12-gauge shotgun shell casings, gunshot residue analysis, consistent witness statements from Devon Mitchell, and James Matlean's detailed voluntary confession to law enforcement.
Melissa Oxley stated she woke up to a loud noise, saw the front door open, and turned on the lights to find her husband dead. Alyssa Oxley reported seeing a figure in her bedroom doorway. Devon Mitchell stated that Dawn explicitly asked James Matlean to kill Ben Oxley, while Dawn Oxley claimed she told Matlean no.
Initial assumptions focusing on household members were revised after Dawn Oxley contacted police in 2009, shifting the investigation entirely onto James Matlean and revealing the prior conspiracy conversation.
The precise degree of Dawn Oxley's physical and logistical participation remains legally unresolved due to her immunity agreement, despite strong analytical inference that she encouraged and facilitated the murder.