A Michigan man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after killing his ex-girlfriend because she got an abortion.
On July 14, Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Rachel Rancilio handed 42-year-old Matthew Lewinski a life term in prison without the possibility of parole for the strangulation death of 52-year-old Courtney “Jerri” Winters. Lewinski was convicted by a jury of first-degree premeditated murder, disinterment and mutilation of a dead body, and concealing the death of an individual.
“This sentence represents the final chapter in a long and difficult pursuit of justice for Jerri Winters and her loved ones. While no outcome can erase the pain of losing a loved one, we hope this resolution provides the victim’s family with a sense of closure and peace as they continue to move forward,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido, according to Click on Detroit.
In July 2021, authorities responded to reports of a man wandering around an apartment complex in his underwear, while mumbling incoherently to himself. After Lewinski was hospitalized, his sister went to his residence and discovered Winter’s mutilated body in her brother’s basement.
An autopsy revealed that the victim died of strangulation.
According to prosecutors, in December 2020, though Winters and Lewinski had broken up, she showed up at the defendant’s home unexpectedly and informed Lewinski she had gotten an abortion. Soon, a physical altercation ensued involving both parties slapping each other. Lewinski also confessed to investigators at the hospital that he strangled Winters to death after she bit him during the violent episode.
In an effort to conceal the body, the defendant initially placed the victim’s body in his bathtub, but later moved her body to the basement due to the cooler temperature. Over time, Lewinski periodically disposed of some of the body parts.
Lewinski appealed his conviction and claimed that the police never read his Miranda rights, hence his confession was tossed out by the trial court. However, the Michigan Court of Appeals reinstated the confession.
Also, the defendant’s lawyer argued for a lesser sentence of manslaughter and blamed the fatal incident on the victim’s aggression.
“She pushed him to a point where he snapped. I want you to think about being told that your baby was taken from you, your child was taken from you by the act of another person, the one thing you wanted, and in that moment, after months of abuse, being threatened, being told ‘I’m going to blow your f--king head off,’ all of those things culminated,” said Defense attorney Elisha Oakes, reported Oxygen.
The jury disagreed!
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