Lisa Greer and Rece Owen — Erica Owen’s parents — delivered powerful and emotional impact statements in front of a packed courtroom Thursday during the final sentencing of Matt Adams, who was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Erica in 2018.
Lisa and Rece separately took the stand in front of Daviess Circuit Judge Jay Wethington, detailing the pain their family and friends have endured. They said while this finally closes the chapter on getting justice for Erica, the impact will last the rest of their lives.
They also noted that they plan to carry on Erica’s memory, with one fund dedicated to helping women facing domestic violence and another going toward students pursuing a nursing career.
Lisa Greer’s impact statement
Lisa said her life was forever changed on July 3, 2018.
“Erica, my only daughter, who was 25 at the time, was murdered in her own home. She was murdered in a traumatic and horrifying manner,” Lisa said. “So to answer the question, how does this impact my life? Well, it’s impossible to put into words. There are no words to describe the depth of pain a parent feels to endure the loss of a child. I believe that our pain has been compounded by the fact that her death came at the hands of one man who knowingly, willingly and intentionally took her life.”
Erica and Adams had a long dating history, so the families knew each other well.
“This is the same man that we included as a part of our family for many years,” Lisa said. “He spent time in our home. We went on family trips, and he sat at our table eating dinner many nights. We showed him love and support. He absolutely knew that taking her life meant he killed a part of me that day as well. He also knew that living a life without her would mean endless grief for myself and my family.”
Erica and Adams eventually separated. Erica later took out an emergency protective order against Adams because he wouldn’t leave her alone. The EPO was still active when Erica was killed.
“I want everyone to know, especially Matt, that in one of her text messages to me in the days before her murder, she texted me and said ‘Mom, I’m living my best life and I’ve never been happier,’” Lisa said.
Lisa said the details surrounding Erica’s death are difficult to process.
“As a matter of fact, it can be all-consuming on a daily basis,” she said. “I constantly question what could have been done to prevent such an act. Parents want to protect their children. This is the case no matter their age. That on this day, July 3, 2018, we couldn’t protect her from Matt’s evil — for us, that is a heavy burden to carry.”
Lisa said her daughter brought unlimited joy to the family and anyone else who knew her. She said Erica had a rare and instinctive gift to make everyone she met feel important and welcome.
She added that the loss will never stop hurting, in part because of all that could have been.
“What is the impact for me of Matt’s decision that day? Missed birthdays, holidays, her morning phone calls, a wedding, and my future grandchildren. You see the impact just continues to last a lifetime,” Lisa said. “There will never come a day, an hour, a minute or second that I stop thinking about Erica and the love and life that we no longer have together.”
Lisa said Thursday officially ended the battle for bringing justice for Erica.
“A life of living behind bars, losing one’s freedom, I believe is a just sentence for the man who deliberately took her life,” she said. “All she wanted was to be left alone, and Matt could not accept that. She was happy and he was not. Now Matt will have a lifetime to reflect on the pain he has caused his family, our family and those who loved Erica.”
Rece Owen’s impact statement
Rece said writing his impact statement brought him no significant relief.
“There’s nothing I can say or do that will wipe away the sadness and grief the loss of Erica has caused,” he said. “It’s with me every time my heart beats. There’s not a minute that goes by that I don’t think about her, what she had to go through and all the wonderful life experiences she will miss out on. I’ve learned that this ongoing pain is a result of how much I love her.”
Rece described remembering all the details of the day she was born and how he was overwhelmed by the joy, and how he was so proud and excited. He talked about how Erica was always happy growing up, that she was bright from an early age, and she was always more mature than most kids her age.
Rece said when Erica’s brother Drew was born a few years later, “there was an immediate connection between the two.”
Noting that many of her friends had been by Erica throughout her life, Rece thanked everyone for their support through the last few years — support that was evidenced by every seat being occupied in the courtroom.
“It means a lot to us because it shows how much she was loved,” he said.
Rece said what he misses most about Erica are the subtle things, such as having coffee together or just having long conversations. He also said he’s going to miss out on several aspects a father looks forward to with his daughter, such as walking her down the aisle on her wedding day.
Rece noted that he was thankful for his strong faith during the last few years.
“If I didn’t have Christ in my life I would have been a disaster and a burden on my family,” he said. “God has a plan, but so does evil. In Erica’s case evil won out in the short-term, but God’s love is with her now and forever.”
Rece said the saddest part of this tragedy is knowing the potential future that was taken away from Erica.
“Erica had the best of her life in front of her — a career, marriage, and children,” he said. “I know she was looking forward to sharing life’s journey with her friends and family. There was so much more that she wanted to accomplish — a continued education, a lifelong career, and being a mother.”
Moving forward, honoring Erica
Rece said it was good to get everything over with in the judicial process, and they were glad to have finally been able to give their statements.
“We wish we could have said this a long time ago but we got our day,” he said. “I think we were really open and clear about what we had to say, not just about our feelings for Matt but what was really missed most about Erica and how difficult this is to accept and deal with on a daily basis.”
Lisa added, “We wanted to be impactful. We wanted the court to know the loss we’ve had, and we wanted him to know the impact his selfish decision had on our lives. And I think we accomplished that today.”
Now they are looking to turn a page, and they’ve got ideas about what they’d like to do going forward with trying to help out with causes of domestic violence. Since Erica had also chosen to pursue a nursing career, they also want to help students going into that field.
Rece said they have a scholarship fund set up and have a “decent amount” of money still available.
An initial round of scholarship funding went to Owensboro Community & Technical College. Rece said they’ll look at that again, as well as possibly adding the nursing program at Western Kentucky University.
He said they also have a strong relationship with the OASIS shelter so they may partner with them to help women dealing with domestic violence.
Lisa said they also host fundraisers each year to raise money to continue to build Erica’s scholarship fund, including selling T-shirts and memorial bracelets.
“We are just continuing to try to be creative in thinking of ways to build that fund to honor her and also support her career choice of nursing,” she said. “Going forward, we will focus on honoring her and doing things in her name. That’s what’s most important now. We had to close this chapter and move on to something better and brighter.”
She added, “Erica’s memory will live on despite Matt’s efforts because those of us who love her will never let her life or light on this Earth dim.”
Lisa also wanted to thank all of Erica’s family and friends, along with the Owensboro community, who have shown support along the way.
“I wasn’t surprised today to see them here,” she said of the crowd, many of which waited in the halls after the sentencing until the family exited the courtroom. “They’ve been with us every step of the way. It is a work day, so many of them changed their schedules to be here for her, to see the justice for Erica brought to a close. But it is overwhelming and we feel their love, and it’s much appreciated.”
About the sentencing
Adams pleaded guilty on Oct. 29, 2021, to the 2018 murder of Erica Owen. He avoided a trial and the possibility of the death penalty by accepting a plea agreement that includes a sentence of life in prison without parole.
Adams, now 29, killed 25-year-old Erica Owen in her home on July 3, 2018. In addition to murder, Adams also pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary, theft over $10,000, tampering with physical evidence, and violation of an emergency protective order.
Terms of the plea agreement include Adams serving life without parole for murder, 20 years for burglary, 10 years for theft, 5 years each for two tampering charges, and 12 months for violating the EPO. The charges will run concurrently.
Adams will be transported to the Department of Corrections as soon as possible.
