Steve Hamel joined Liz Collin to talk about the tragic death of his dear friend David Burley—who was recently killed in a motorcycle crash in western Wisconsin. David was the co-owner of Blue Plate Restaurant Group which operates multiple restaurants in the Twin Cities.
It was a love of motorcycles and machines that brought Steve and David together. Sadly, it would tragically mark the last time they were together as well.
Steve reminisced, “I met David in the early ‘90s when he opened his first restaurant, which was the Highland Grill. My motorcycle shop was in St. Paul at the time. I visited the restaurant because they had the best hash browns in town. One day there’s a Norton (motorcycle) parked out front … the relationship just grew from there.”
Their passion for motorcycles also marked their last day together, when David was struck and killed by an intoxicated driver on April 6, 2025.
As Steve explained, “David came to my shop. His son Charlie brought him out and he was going to pick up the Vincent (motorcycle) that I had restored for him over the last couple of years. He had never ridden a Vincent, but he was really excited about it and told his friends and family how thrilled he was to finally get his dream motorcycle … He took it around the block and came back with a big smile on his face.”
That happened about 2:30 that afternoon. The crash that tragically took David’s life occurred less than 15 minutes later on I-94 near Hudson, Wisconsin.
An intoxicated driver with a criminal history
The intoxicated driver, Andre Lamont Mathews of Brooklyn Park, was charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. Mathew’s car struck a guardrail and veered into David’s motorcycle, sending him into the median.
Mathews was arrested nine days later. He posted the $25,000 cash bail and was released that same day. However, court records tell a different part of the story and reveal more about Mathews’ criminal history.
Collin explained how Crime Watch Minneapolis did some research and found that Mathews was convicted of armed robbery in 2009.
In 2018, he was arrested for drug-related charges after a traffic stop in downtown Minneapolis. This incident involved felony charges related to guns and drugs.
However, the felony gun charge—which carried a sentence of up to 15 years—was dismissed as part of a plea deal, according to court records.
A plea deal dismissal of gun-related charges?
As Collin pointed out, Mathews could have been in prison that day and not driving while intoxicated, if it weren’t for the soft-on-crime handling of this case.
Collin asked about the dismissal of the gun-related charges and how the Hennepin County court system handled the case. Steve replied, “It’s just unimaginable. And there’s so much of this kind of behavior going on in the justice system nowadays. It’s pretty frustrating, especially when you lose a friend.”
“It’s just so sad and so ironic that he made a total of three miles on his dream motorcycle after waiting for two years for it—and it is so senseless, so senseless,” Steve said.
A court hearing for Mathews is scheduled in St. Croix County, Wisconsin for the end of May.
The post Beloved restaurant owner killed in crash, friend highlights Minnesota justice system’s failures appeared first on Alpha News MN.
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Author: Dr. JC Chaix
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