BOCA RATON, Fla. — A week after Shawn Matthews, 36, was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Boca Raton, his family still has no answers on who was responsible.
"I don't even know if I've gotten to the point where I'm even understanding that he's gone," Kevin Matthews, Shawn's identical twin brother, said.
Kevin said Shawn was four minutes older than him, but that he always felt protective over his brother.
"There's a lot of pain because of that," Kevin Matthews said. "I don't know how much sleep I'm ever going to get again because that's the overwhelming thought."
He said Shawn owned a roofing business in Boca Raton and described his brother as selfless and a person who was a friend to everyone.
"I miss him a lot already. I loved him dearly," Kevin Matthews said. "He was strong where I was weak. He was smart where I was stupid. He was passionate where I was angry. He filled in the holes."
Kevin said his family had Shawn cremated early Thursday morning.
"To see myself, half of me laying there, I just held my hand on his heart for a very long time," Kevin Matthews said. "A word wouldn't even come close."
Shawn leaves behind his parents, his twin brother and their younger sister.
"How are your parents doing through all this?" WPTV reporter Joel Lopez asked.
"My mom is holding up better than I thought. My dad is doing his best to hold it together for her," Kevin Matthews said. "They both amaze me in their strength through this, but we've got a lot of help through this right now. When this settles, I'm afraid of those times."
Many of Shawn's friends traveled to Florida to pay their respects.
"This is going to leave a hole in many people's hearts that's not going to be able to be patched," Chad Cole, who drove 10 hours from Georgia, said.
Friends said Shawn loved science, running and cycling — sports that he often participated with his friend Milton Brannon.
"Shawn was like a brother and my best friend. I think I've cried all my tears. I think I'm dry at this point. It's been a roller coaster. I'm still having my moments," Brannon said. "In this story, I want to make sure that Shawn's legacy lives on in as positive a way as possible because Shawn was a bright light full of positivity."
Brannon said he went on a run Thursday on the beach in honor of his deceased friend.
Kevin Matthews said he's been by the location where Shawn's body was found, and noticed investigators are still working the case.
"I've never totally had a ton of faith in civil service and in every part of this they were steps ahead," Kevin Matthews said. "That means the world to me and my entire family."
"Do you have a question for the person that might be responsible?" Lopez asked.
"We're not angry. We are devastated. We'll take anything," Kevin Matthews said. "(It would bring) closure for so many people and maybe even closure for them."
A fundraising page has been created to help the family with funeral expenses, and they say anything extra will be used as a reward to find the person responsible for Shawn's death.
"We need answers. We have to have answers for closure," Brannon said. "We want to make sure that we can put this to rest and only think about the positives."
A vigil is in the works for Friday, and a service is planned for Saturday.
