2 brothers, their mother charged in deadly stabbing on Pioneer Drive: reports
Michelle Ballantine went even further — she lied about her sons' involvement with a deadly stabbing that took place outside her front door, authorities say in court documents.
She told investigators she and her sons — Larry and Matthew Chavez — were seated in the living room of her apartment on Pioneer Drive when they heard a commotion. They went outside and saw a man on the ground.
Ballantine called 911 and deputies arrived to find Jason Raymond Mena, 21, with a stab wound.
Larry and Matthew Chavez had already left. Their mother said they weren't involved, but investigators soon heard from sources indicating otherwise.
Matthew Troy Chavez, 35, the alleged stabber, is charged with first-degree murder. Larry Chavez, 42, and Ballantine, 62, are facing accessory charges.
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They're due back in court May 7.
Early on Jan. 20, deputies were sent to the 3100 block of Pioneer Drive to a report of a man down. They found Mena with a cut above the right side of his pelvis.
He was later pronounced dead at Kern Medical.
Ballantine initially told investigators her sons — who live with her — had left an hour before Mena was found. Later she said they were at home in the living room, playing games on their cellphones, when noises came from outside.
'Ballantine was inconsistent with her statement and claimed health issues caused her to forget things and mix up details of memories,' an investigator wrote.
The brothers were detained the following day and questioned.
Matthew Chavez denied involvement. He said he'd been sleeping.
Larry Chavez said he'd opened the door to find Mena on the ground and bleeding. He said he didn't know Mena and had never seen him before, according to the documents.
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Larry Chavez said he left the scene because he has warrants and didn't want to get arrested. He went to a friend's place.
No charges were filed as investigators continued to gather evidence — and receive information from other sources.
One was the person whom Larry Chavez visited. That person — unnamed in the documents — said Chavez gave him details as to what happened.
Larry Chavez and Mena were selling Starbucks gift cards to pool enough money to purchase drugs, the person said. Mena, believing he'd been ripped off, got angry and tried to enter Chavez's home, according to the person's statement.
There was an altercation — and Matthew Chavez stepped in with a knife and stabbed Mena, the person said.
The person told investigators he believed Matthew Chavez was defending his brother, and Ballantine lied to protect her children.
Larry Chavez told him he was worried he'd been captured on surveillance footage with Mena at a nearby Starbucks the day before, the person reported.
An anonymous tip also said the stabbing occurred over a drug deal, and that Mena's cellphone was tossed into a nearby field.
Investigators located the phone and found Larry Chavez, contrary to his claim of not knowing Mena, had exchanged multiple messages with the victim, according to the documents.
Video footage retrieved from the Starbucks and other businesses appeared to show Mena and Larry Chavez together the night before. The person identified as Larry Chavez wore a hat matching the one he wore when interviewed at sheriff's headquarters, the reports say.
Detectives obtained a warrant and searched Ballantine's home. Several knives, including one found between a mattress and box spring, were seized.
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Charges were brought against the brothers and Ballantine in March.
Investigators say a records search revealed Matthew Chavez was arrested in 2023 for an incident that bears certain similarities to the current case.
In that incident, someone to whom Larry Chavez owed money tried to break into their home. As Larry Chavez fought with the person, Matthew Chavez allegedly struck the man with a hammer, leaving him with a 3-inch cut on his head.
The case was dismissed due to lack of evidence.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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