Maple Grove Man Sentenced For Murdering Mother, Assaulting Father

MAPLE GROVE, MN — Matthew Witt, of Maple Grove, was sentenced to 266 months — or over 22 years — in prison for murdering his mother and assaulting his father on July 24, 2019, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

On Jan. 14, Witt, 42, pleaded guilty to unintentional second-degree murder in the beating death of his mother and to first-degree assault for violently attacking his father.

According to the criminal complaint, around 7:30 p.m. on July 24, Maple Grove police were sent to a home on Eagle Lake Drive North. The door was answered by Witt who was covered in blood, and a motionless body lay behind him, according to police.

He told the police, "Take me to jail. I did it. I didn’t kill them. They’re alive. I let them live…they’re hurt bad," investigators said.

When police asked who Witt was speaking of, he replied, "my parents," according to the criminal complaint.

Witt was taken into custody while officers located both his parents inside the home. His mother was found on the ground with severe head trauma and not breathing. Officers attempted to resuscitate the mother but were unable to do so.

She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release.

In the upstairs bathroom, Witt’s father was found bleeding from the head with a bruised face and laceration under his eye. Paramedics took the father to the hospital where medical staff found he suffered multiple facial fractures and a laceration requiring multiple staples.