HENNEPIN COUNTY, Minn. (TCN) — A 40-year-old man will spend over 23 years behind bars for killing his ex-girlfriend after he was recently released from custody for punching, biting, and strangling the victim.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office secured a sentence of 285 months against Matthew Brenneman after he pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Danicka Bergeson while under a restraining order. Brenneman was initially indicted on charges of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder.
According to the initial criminal complaint, on July 8, 2023, Hopkins Police responded to an apartment to a report of “groaning, yelling, and banging” coming from the residence. The building manager reportedly told police Brenneman was Bergeson’s boyfriend and had abused her in the past. He was worried she had been harmed and couldn’t get help.
Officers entered the apartment and discovered Brenneman against the bathroom door “yelling, grunting, and growling.” According to the complaint, police noticed an “overwhelming odor of bleach coming from the bathroom,” and Brenneman’s clothes were wet.
Authorities said Brenneman seemed “incoherent, disoriented, and did not answer officers’ questions about what he had consumed.”
Officers reportedly located cleaning products containing bleach near Brenneman.
During a search of the home, police observed a lump in the bedding in the primary bedroom. According to the complaint, an officer pulled back the comforter on the bed and found the victim deceased and wrapped in several other blankets. The complaint says Bergeson’s head was covered with a plastic garbage bag.
Authorities recovered men’s clothing with apparent blood. They also allegedly discovered a note written by Brenneman. Among other comments, it read, “I never meant to disrespect [Bergeson], she’s crudely covered with plastic and blankets in bed. Things happened abruptly, I didn’t know what to do and tried to go on a couple days. I can’t try to live after this. The end, Matthew.”
According to the complaint, police found multiple partial drafts of the note in the trash and a duffle bag.
Brenneman was transported to the hospital after allegedly ingesting some bleach, and officials observed bruising and swelling to his cheeks, as well as abrasions to his face, arms, and legs, and scratches to his back.
An autopsy revealed Bergeson sustained severe bruising and abrasions all over her body, and investigators believe she had been deceased in her home for a day or more when officers found her. At the time of her death, authorities said there was an active domestic abuse no contact order in place, prohibiting Brenneman from contacting Bergeson.
According to the complaint, the defendant previously punched and bit the victim in April 2023. He reportedly messaged a friend and said he gave his ex a black eye “because he believed she had started a new relationship.” Brenneman allegedly said, “She f–king deserved it, if any woman ever has.” He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic assault.
The following month, the defendant reportedly punched and bit the victim again and allegedly strangled her. The complaint says Brenneman pleaded guilty to felony threats of violence. He was subsequently released from custody on June 27, 2023.