Lawsuit alleges Matthew Mitchell planned River Oaks family killings

Thy Mitchell’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Harris County court against Matthew Mitchell, alleging he planned to murder his family and pointing to Ring camera footage they say captured him saying, “I gotta kill everybody.”

The filing, published July 28, says the video and other court records show Mitchell discussing his family’s deaths as he faced financial losses and fraud claims. In civil court, Thy Mitchell’s parents can pursue accountability outside the criminal system and seek monetary damages tied to the deaths of Thy Mitchell, 39, Matthew Mitchell, 52, and their children, Maya, 8, and Maxwell, 4.

Houston police found the four family members shot dead in their River Oaks home during a welfare check in May 2026 and described the case as an apparent murder-suicide. The property where the bodies were found is owned by Matthew and Thy Mitchell, the owners of Traveler’s Table, the globally inspired restaurant in Montrose.

The family’s death sent shock waves through Houston’s restaurant community, and Thy Mitchell’s relatives publicly asked for privacy, compassion and accuracy after the killings. The wrongful death filing now pushes the case into a new phase in Harris County civil court, where the parents can press for records, testimony and damages even as the central question remains what led to the deaths inside the River Oaks home.

The lawsuit also raises fresh questions about the timeline the court will examine, including when the alleged planning began, how the Ring footage was preserved and what other evidence may be introduced about the Mitchells’ finances and the fraud claims referenced in the filing. The restaurant side of the story is also still unwinding: Traveler’s Cart served its last meal Friday, July 28, nearly three months after the family was found dead.