ARLINGTON, Texas — A Tarrant County jury has delivered a guilty verdict in the capital murder trial of 37-year-old Reid Rothenberg. Following the conviction on March 11, 2026, Rothenberg received an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal April 2022 home invasion that left two men dead.
The Ivy Hill Drive Rampage
The trial detailed a terrifying night on April 10, 2022, in the 5300 block of Ivy Hill Drive. Prosecutors described a cold-blooded attack where Rothenberg forced entry into the residence and targeted a single family.
- The Victims:
- George Nitsche (84): Killed while resting on a couch in the back of the home. Assistant District Attorney Matt Rivers noted that Nitsche “never saw it coming.”
- Matthew Stuart (41): Chased into the front yard and fatally shot while attempting to escape.
- The Survivor: Elizabeth Hearn (67), Nitsche’s ex-wife and Stuart’s mother, was also targeted but survived the gunfire.
- The Investigation: Although Rothenberg was not arrested until June 2022, detectives were able to link him to the scene through forensic evidence and witness testimony, confirming he was not a stranger to at least one of the victims.
A “Brutal Homicide” Accounted For
Assistant District Attorney Tad Schmidt emphasized to the jury that this was a premeditated “rampage” by someone who entered the home with the sole intention of killing.
“This is not just a killing. This is a brutal homicide by someone who came to kill that night.”
Rothenberg, who has been held in the Tarrant County Jail since his arrest, will now be transferred to a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility to serve his life sentence.
