Priscilla Matula's crime - A detailed case overview

Priscilla Matula was the daughter of Margaret Abernathy, a 66-year-old woman who was shot to death on February 4, 1991. It was Priscilla who first made the 911 call and reported to the authorities. When the EMTs reached the crime scene, they found Margaret bloody and unresponsive.

Authorities from the Troup County Sheriff’s Office discovered that Margaret Abernathy was shot in bed while she was asleep. Reportedly, the victim woke up, went to the bathroom, she was shot again. Margaret was quickly rushed to the hospital, where she passed away.

When Margaret's daughter, Priscilla Matula, was interrogated by the police, they found inconsistencies in her story. The Real Murders of Atlanta episode titled Blood Betrayal explores the complete investigation behind Margaret Abernathy's murder. The episode was aired on May 31, 2025, on Oxygen.

---

What happened to Margaret Abernathy?

Margaret Abernathy was found shot to death at her residence (Image via Pexels)

As reported by Oxygen, on February 4, 1991, officials from the Troup County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Priscilla Matula. When EMTs arrived at the crime scene, they found Margaret breathing but unresponsive.

Margaret was soon rushed to the local hospital, where two 22-caliber bullets were removed from her body. As reported by Oxygen, the victim was shot for two times behind her head. Soon, Margaret was taken off life support and was pronounced dead. When authorities interrogated the crime scene, they found a broken window pane on a door.

Initially, authorities suspected that Margaret was killed due to a robbery gone wrong (Image via Pexels)

Initially, the murder was suspected to be a robbery gone wrong. However, soon it was discovered that the glass was broken outward. Authorities soon realised that the scene was staged, and Margaret was murdered by someone she had known before.

As reported by Oxygen, when investigators scrutinized the crime scene, including the bathroom and bedroom, they found that Margae was first shot around 7:30 am, and then three hours later.

---

Margaret Abernathy was a successful car dealership owner.

Margaret and William owned a successful car dealership (Image via Pexels)

As reported by Oxygen, Margaret and William were a well-known couple in the community who owned a successful car dealership. Reportedly, the couple had three children, including Alect, Melody, and the The Real Murders of Atlanta subject Priscilla Matula.

Reportedly, in 1900, when William died, the car dealership was sold. When Priscilla Matula was interrogated, she claimed she and her husband Nick had launched a car dealership, which was supported by Margaret Abernathy.

Priscilla was brought into interrogation, where she claimed to be in the office at the time of the murder (Image via Pexels)

Priscilla Matula told the authorities that she woke up and went to her car dealership at 8:00 am. She claimed to have gone to the post office and returned around 10:30 am. Priscilla claimed that her mother, Margaret, was not picking up the calls. At around 12:25 am, she drove to her mother's house. As per Priscilla's story, she found the glass broken, entered inside, and found Margaret dead in the bathroom.

Police officials discovered that none of the valuables in the house, including jewellery and electronics, were taken. This eliminated the possibility of a robbery. However, Priscilla Matula claimed that a mink coat and a .22 Derringer pistol were missing from the house.

Authorities discovered that a .22 Derringer pistol was used to kill Margaret (Image via Pexels)

Officials soon predicted that the killer of Margaret Abernathy did not have a weapon and used the .22 Derringer pistol to kill her. Authorities initially suspected Alect Abernathy, who was the beneficiary of Margaret's insurance policy, but soon he was cleared.

---

Investigators found Priscilla Matula to be the prime suspect behind Margaret Abernathy's murder.

Authorities discovered that Priscilla was withdrawing money from Margaret's bank account (Image via Pexels)

As reported by Oxygen, during the investigation, authorities received a tip that a week before Margaret's murder, Priscilla had written checks of more than $ 60,000. It was revealed that Priscilla was using her mother's bank account to withdraw the money.

It was revealed that the victim, Margaret, spoke to the bank employees and wanted to cut out Priscilla's access to her bank accounts. Investigators soon discovered that Priscilla was using Margaret's money to fund her own car dealership business.

Authorities discovered several inconsistencies in Priscilla's stories (Image via Pexels)

When Priscilla was brought in for interrogation, authorities found several inconsistencies in her stories about her whereabouts on the day of Margaret's murder. Additionally, one of the witnesses revealed that Priscilla's car was parked near Margaret's residence when the gunshot was heard around 10:00 am.

As per Priscilla's claims, she was at her office at that time. As per Oxygen, investigators found that Priscilla was in the convenience store near her mother's home at 7:15 am. There, she waited for the family friend, who lived at Margaret's residence, to leave for work at around 7:30 am.

Priscilla was found guilty and spent 23 years behind bars (Image via Pexels)

Investigators predicted that Priscilla then entered Margaret's residence, while she was asleep, and went to work. She came back again at around 10:00 am, found Margaret alive, and shot her again in the head. Finally, she staged the crime scene and called the investigators.

Priscilla Matula was charged and arrested for forgery, fraud, and murder. It was in August 1992 that Priscilla testified on her behalf and maintained her innocence. She was found guilty and sentenced to a lifetime behind bars. It was in May 2015 that Priscilla Matula was released on parole after spending 23 years behind bars.

---

Check out our other articles to learn more details about other cases on The Real Murders of Atlanta.

Edited by Bharath S