More Details On Slaying Of Bears Fan In Florida

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Oct 9, 2012 8:20PM

Police have released more details on the murder of a Bears fan who traveled to Jacksonville for Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Police say the man who slashed Lake Villa resident William Pettry's throat was "jealous" when he allegedly killed Pettry and "calmly" walked out of the bar.

Jacksonville police told the Tribune that Matthew Hinson, 27, "became jealous, enraged, whatever you want to call it and approached our victim." The Tribune writes:

"When he (Hinson) showed up, he found out that our victim and a friend were talking with his wife and another lady," [Jacksonville County Police Lt. Rob] Schoonover said.

Witnesses told police Hinson and Pettry were "sitting on a bench inside the bar" when Hinson "stood up, cut him (Pettry) and walked out," Schoonover said, making a cutting motion across his throat with his finger. He described the murder weapon as “a little pocket knife.”

Pettry had traveled to Jacksonville for the Bears game with his best friend Nick Viverito. Viverito said he and Pettry spoke with Hinson at the upscale Irish restaurant Fionn McCool's. The Tribune writes:

"The girls were waiting for somewhere to sit and we invited them to join our group and they sat down for a few minutes and then the husband (Hinson) came in and he sat down and introduced himself to us and I shook the guy's hand," Viverito said. "Then they got up and went to the inside bar.

"We were barely talking to them and he sat down and talked to us for a couple of minutes. He didn't seem pissed or angry or anything," Viverito said.

Pettry got up to go to the restroom and went inside the bar to buy a round of drinks. Viverito said he had just started to wonder what was taking so long when a waitress approached him. ABC7 writes:

"The last time he went in, he said, 'I'm gonna get a round of drinks. Anybody want anything? ... I'm gonna go to the bathroom. ' I don't know what about inside, but 20 minutes later, the waitress comes out and said, 'Your friend stopped breathing and he's bleeding all over the place inside the bar.' I ran inside the bar and saw him laying there in a pool of blood."

Police caught Hinson as he was driving out of the parking lot, and Hinson admitted to killing Pettry.