Boyfriend kills woman to stop her reporting restraining order violation, WA cops say
A 38-year-old Washington man was arrested on aggravated first-degree murder charges after prosecutors say he killed his girlfriend, who had a restraining order against him.
Michael Robert Mathwig Jr. from Bremerton already was accused of assaulting Stacy Lynn Hansen, 40, before her Aug. 16 death, court documents show.
Mathwig told detectives Hansen threatened to tell police he violated the restraining order with evidence she showed him. In return, he stabbed her, according to the probable cause statement.
“I thought, I am going to prison forever, anyway,” he told detectives after his arrest.
Despite the no contact order, Mathwig’s father told police his son still saw Hansen, court documents state.
Mathwig said he believed he would go to prison for a “long time” if Hansen told police he broke the restraining order, court documents state.
He also admitted to using meth, which causes paranoia, the documents say.
Police found Hansen’s body in a pool of blood at Mathwig’s home the day after the killing, documents show. Mathwig was nowhere to be found.
But on the night of the killing, Mathwig took out $500 from a cash machine at a Winco and drove to his mother’s home, the documents say. There, he left his car, phone and keys and instead drove off in her car.
He was arrested in Red Bluff, California, one week later — more than 600 miles from Bremerton. In police custody, he admitted to stabbing Hansen with a serrated knife, like a steak knife, the documents say.
An autopsy of Hansen’s body ruled her death as “homicidal violence.” Her throat was cut and she had “defensive” wounds on her hands, court documents show.
Mathwig pleaded not guilty on Monday and he is being held without bail, the Kitsap Sun reported.
He could face a life sentence without parole, the publication said.
This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Boyfriend kills woman to stop her reporting restraining order violation, WA cops say."
