Background: Aundre Matthews. Inset: Andrew Meismer (KHOU/YouTube).
An 18-year-old Texas man is jailed after he allegedly stabbed a 16-year-old boy to death inside a high school classroom over a missing $21 vape.
Aundre Matthews stands accused of murder in the death of Andrew Meismer at Sterling High School in Baytown, which is near Houston. The incident occurred around 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday.
Prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorney's Office said in a probable cause hearing last week that a teacher told cops Andrew asked to go to the bathroom and Matthews followed him minutes later. Shortly thereafter, the teacher heard a cry for help. The teacher went to investigate and saw Matthews' arm around Andrew's neck in a chokehold.
"[The teacher] attempted to remove the arm from the neck of the complainant, but the defendant would not remove his arm. He observed blood coming from his neck and the complainant's body," the prosecutor said.
Surveillance video showed the suspect and victim entered a classroom minutes earlier, followed by another student who said she heard Matthews accuse Andrew of stealing his $21 THC vape pen. A fight ensued and she said she saw "a lot of blood" coming from Andrew's body.
Cops arrested Matthews. He told cops in a Mirandized interview that he went to the bathroom to confront the victim about the missing vape.
"Defendant followed the complainant to the bathroom, searched his pockets, did not find the pen, but instead found a pair of scissors on the complainant's person," the prosecutor testified.
Matthews took the scissors away and the two walked to a classroom where he again confronted Andrew about the vape. The suspect searched the victim's pockets again and a pushing match ensued, according to prosecutors. Matthews then allegedly pulled out the scissors and stabbed Andrew in the neck. The defendant claimed Andrew is a lot bigger than him and that he stabbed the victim in self-defense, but prosecutors say that's not the case.
Paramedics rushed Andrew to the hospital, where he died less than an hour later.
Matthews' attorney said his client has no prior criminal history. But Kim Luckett, a former teacher at the school who had Matthews in class, told local ABC affiliate KTRK the teen received in-school suspension several times for altercations with numerous students.
"It's a rap sheet that's a mile long," she said in an interview with the TV station.
Luckett said she was concerned about escalating discipline problems at the school.
"I went and had a meeting with [the superintendent's] secretary and said things are out of control," Luckett stated. "Mark my word, if we do not get a handle on it as admin, somebody is going to die."
Matthews' defense attorney, Gianpaolo Macerola, told Fox affiliate KRIV he wants to see the school surveillance video before jumping to conclusions.
"I need to see what happened in terms of all the claims that were read in that probable cause affidavit," he said.
The defendant remains in the Harris County Jail on a $3 million bond. His next court hearing is set for Jan. 7, 2026.
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