A Clinton Township man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of killing his girlfriend, removing parts of her body and living with the body for nearly eight months.
Matthew Lewinski, 42, confessed to police in late July 2021 that he had strangled Jerri Winters a few days before Christmas, left her body to decompose in his basement and cut her body up, disposing of pieces in a nearby restaurant’s dumpster.
Her body was not found until July 2021, when Lewinski ended up in the hospital and family members went to get belongings from his home.
A Macomb County jury found Lewinski guilty Thursday of first-degree murder, mutilation of a dead body and concealing the death of a person. Because of the first-degree murder conviction, Lewinski faces a mandatory life sentence.
Lewinski’s attorney did not contest the second two charges, only the first-degree murder charge.
Clinton Township Detective Michael Chirco testified that a large portion of Winters’ back flesh, from the base of her neck down to her buttocks, had been removed, making organs and bones visible.
Lewinski told police that he put his hands on Winters’ throat after she slapped him. He trapped her in a chair at one point, and she bit him, according to video played during his jury trial.
After slapping Winters across the face, “I put my hands on her throat,” Lewinski told police. “My intent was not to do what I did. My intent was to really scare her.”
Elisha Oakes, Lewinski’s attorney, asked the jury during closing arguments to convict Lewinski of voluntary manslaughter instead of first-degree murder.
Oakes said Lewinski is a victim of domestic violence by Winters, who had been abusing him for months.
“She pushed him to a point, and he snapped,” Oakes said. “It was months of abuse that led up to one poor decision.”
kberg@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Clinton Twp. man convicted of killing, cutting up girlfriend
Reporting by Kara Berg, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
