Matthew Cruz remains held without bail as prosecutors prepare to present a case built partly on his alleged statements to investigators.
TAUNTON, Mass. — A probable cause hearing for a Massachusetts man charged with murdering his girlfriend has been rescheduled for Dec. 9, extending the preliminary stage of a case in which prosecutors say the defendant’s account of a fatal staircase incident changed repeatedly during the police investigation.
Matthew Cruz, 37, appeared in Taunton District Court on Oct. 15, the date initially set for the hearing, but the proceeding was moved to December. Cruz has pleaded not guilty in the death of Shannon Smith, 37, of Bridgewater, who was found unresponsive inside his Taunton townhouse on Sept. 17. Cruz remains accused, not convicted, and the delayed hearing has not resolved any factual dispute about what happened inside the home.
The court schedule is the latest development in a prosecution that began the day Smith died. Police and emergency crews responded to 8 Allcot Circle shortly before 1 p.m. after a call reporting an unconscious woman. They found Smith at the bottom of a staircase and transported her to Morton Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Cruz, who lived at the townhouse and was in an on-and-off relationship with Smith, was present when police arrived. He was arrested later that day after authorities concluded that Smith’s death resulted from a domestic incident involving him.
Cruz was arraigned the following morning. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf, and he was ordered held without bail on the murder charge. Court reporting said prosecutors described the case as an alleged fatal assault following an argument between Cruz and Smith. The prosecution also told the judge that Cruz was on pretrial release in an unrelated assault case when Smith died. Those circumstances became part of the detention record but do not by themselves establish whether he is guilty of the homicide charge.
Much of the prosecution’s account comes from what investigators say Cruz told them after Smith was found. According to police reports cited by several news organizations, Cruz first said the couple had argued about his belief that Smith had been unfaithful. He allegedly told officers that Smith made statements about suicide and threw herself down the staircase. Cruz said he later found her unresponsive and attempted to help her before contacting emergency services. Investigators questioned that version after examining the scene and Smith’s condition.
An officer wrote that the injuries observed on Smith did not appear consistent with a simple fall down the home’s relatively short stairs, according to court records reported by The Boston Globe. Smith was found on her back near a broken closet door. Police also noted that a box on a stair landing did not appear displaced or damaged. Emergency personnel believed Smith may have been unresponsive longer than Cruz’s first account suggested. Investigators observed injuries to her face and body as well as marks described in other reporting as rug burns.
As questioning continued, authorities say Cruz changed his description of the confrontation. One account had Cruz and Smith falling down the stairs together during a struggle. Prosecutors say he later acknowledged putting an arm around Smith’s neck and applying force during the altercation. According to the criminal complaint as described in news reports, Cruz said he began choking Smith before the pair went down the stairs and continued after they reached the bottom. Police allege the evidence showed Smith had been moved along the stairs rather than simply suffering a spontaneous fall.
That distinction is central to the state’s theory. Investigators believe the rug burns and the condition of the staircase supported an allegation that Smith was dragged or otherwise moved after she became incapacitated. Prosecutors have said Cruz strangled her and moved her down the staircase. Those conclusions remain allegations that the defense can challenge. The publicly available reporting reviewed for this story does not establish that a jury or judge has made findings about the precise sequence of the assault, nor does it provide a final publicly announced medical examiner conclusion independently resolving every part of the prosecution’s reconstruction.
The relationship between Cruz and Smith had lasted about 10 months on an intermittent basis, prosecutors said. Authorities allege the final confrontation followed an argument over Cruz’s accusation of infidelity. The existence of that argument is part of the prosecution narrative because it describes what police say was happening immediately before the alleged violence. It should not be treated as proof of motive beyond what prosecutors can establish in court, and there has been no reported trial at which the state’s account has been tested before a fact-finder.
Prosecutors also discussed Cruz’s prior record at arraignment. They said he had earlier assault and battery convictions and was facing a separate case arising from an August incident in Bridgewater. In that case, authorities accused him of pushing his 75-year-old father to the ground. NBC Boston and Boston 25 reported that prosecutors also told the court Cruz’s mother and former wife previously had obtained restraining orders involving him. The prior cases and orders are background matters and are legally separate from Smith’s death; their existence does not substitute for evidence on the murder charge.
Defense attorney Dana Sargent said after the arraignment that the situation was emotional and expressed concern for both families. Beyond the not-guilty plea, the available reporting provides little detail about the defense theory Cruz may eventually present. His lawyers could challenge the prosecution’s account of the physical evidence, the circumstances under which statements were obtained, or the legal significance of those statements. Such questions ordinarily become clearer as a case proceeds through probable cause review, discovery and later court hearings.
The Dec. 9 hearing now matters because the murder prosecution has remained at the District Court stage longer than initially expected. A probable cause hearing does not decide whether a defendant is guilty. Instead, it addresses whether the prosecution has sufficient evidence for the case to proceed through the criminal process. The rescheduling therefore changes the timetable, not Cruz’s plea or the state’s burden of proof. No trial date has been publicly reported in the sources reviewed for this story.
Smith’s death remains under investigation by Taunton police and the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. Cruz remains held without bail as of the latest publicly reported court development. Unless the schedule changes again, the next reported proceeding is Dec. 9, when the prosecution is expected to return to court in a case built around the scene inside the townhouse, Smith’s injuries and statements police attribute to Cruz.
Author note: Last updated November 7, 2026.