Winchester Man Who Confessed to Killing His Mother Will Undergo Mental Evaluation

A Winchester man, who confessed to beating his 70-year-old mother to death, appeared in Middlesex County Court on Wednesday morning.

Matthew McAveeney requested to represent himself, asked judges to change his plea from not guilty to guilty and was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation before judges would consider his request, WCVB reported.

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McAveeney faces murder charges, assault and battery on a person 60 years of age or older and two counts of cruelty to animals.

McAveeney admitted to killing his mother and her two cats, Pumpkin and Puffin, while being led into the Winchester Police Department on Tuesday, Oct. 28

Winchester Police discovered the body of Barbara McAveeney inside her Swanton Street home on Tuesday, Oct. 14. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled the cause of death to be “blunt force trauma to the head.”

McAveeney fled the state and was captured in North Carolina on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

McAveeney also requested to have the names of the cats included on the indictment and the judges allowed the changes, according to WCVB.

Here is previous Patch coverage of the murder:

• Death in Winchester Being Investigated
• Police Search for Man in Alleged Beating Death of Mother
• Winchester Murder Suspect Remains on the Run
• Winchester Police Release Photo of Murder Suspect
• UPDATED: Winchester Murder Suspect Caught in North Carolina
• Murder Suspect Admits to Killing Mother

Photo Credit: WHDH