Mother of 9-year-old boy beaten to death at Fayetteville hotel pleads guilty

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- A woman accused of beating her son to death at a Fayetteville hotel in 2017 has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Crystal M. Matthews entered the plea Friday in the death of 9-year-old Zamarie Chance.

Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons sentenced her to between 144 and 185 months in prison.

The incident happened around 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 21, 2017, at Fairfield Inn & Suites in the 4200 block of Ramsey Street.

911 calls made by hotel guests revealed the commotion moments before authorities arrived.

"I'm calling about the room upstairs," one guest said during the call. "It sounds like a woman is getting beat. I called the front desk."

Minutes later, the caller tells the 911 dispatcher that the noise is getting louder.

"It's continuing and she's screaming. And she's screaming for help."

That chilling 911 call led first responders to the Fairfield Inn where they found Zamarie lifeless inside a hotel room.

Investigators said Matthews beat him to death and waited for police to arrive.

Matthews chose to represent herself in court.

Zamarie's father later filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in Cumberland County against the motel. Kareem Moore St. alleged that the Fairfield Inn and Suites failed to respond to guest complaints about "muffled cries for help."