Killed by Her Ex-Lover After Confrontation With New Boyfriend?! The Case of Alex Pennig

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If you're looking for a car that fits your needs, you're looking for the right car, you're looking for a car that fits your needs, you're looking for a car that fits your needs, you're looking for a car that fits your needs. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of True Crime with Kendall Ray. Thank you so much for joining me. And if you're new to my show, then welcome. I'm happy to have you here. So you guys, today we are going to be talking about the wildly bizarre case of Alexandra Penig. And the reason I say it's bizarre is because I just can't wrap my mind around how things went downhill the night that this happened so quickly. It's one that I will be super curious to hear your opinion on because I know there are a lot of opinions out there on this case. There are a lot of people who believe that the jury got it wrong. And many others believe that justice was served. It all kind of depends on, you know, which version of events you believe and if the evidence is compelling enough to you. And with that, let's go ahead and start talking about Alex's case, starting with how her story began. Alexandra Penig, or Alex, as most people called her, was born on December 22nd, 1989 to her parents, Mary Jo and Jim. And she was living in Minnesota at the time of her death, specifically in St. Paul, although I wasn't able to get clarity on where she was born and raised. From what I was able to find, though, it's obvious to me that she made a big impact in her 32 short years of life. Alex has lovingly been described as smart, empathetic, vibrant, and also as someone who has always had a place in her heart for the underdogs in our society. She deeply cared for her family and her friends, and she also had a soft spot for animals. I learned that she often brought in stray cats, girl after my own heart. This one was a stray that I found outside of my apartment complex a long time ago as a baby, and I bottle fed her, so I totally get it. She even had two cats of her own, Opie and Jax. Alex was also known for having every hair color in the book, truly, incredibly feisty when she was growing up. She actually played ice hockey, and her friends said that she was fire on ice. But I'd say her biggest strength, you know, what she was known best for, was her passion for taking care of others. Her loved ones describe her as a really just nurturing type of person, which suited her well for working as a nurse, of course. And one of the main reasons why Alex ended up becoming a nurse is actually a big part of her case. Back when she was a young adult, like so many of us do, Alex struggled with depression, and she also struggled with addiction, specifically to prescription pills. And she got to a very low point one day, and she ended up taking a handful of pills in an attempt on her life. And she even texted her mom, letting her know what she was planning to do. It was very, very scary. However, thankfully, almost immediately after taking them, she made herself throw up because she realized that she wasn't ready to quit. And so after being rushed to the hospital and having her life saved, Alex realized that she wanted to become a nurse and help others the way that nurses and doctors helped her that night. So after getting her bachelor's degree in public health from Montana State University, she got her LPN degree from St. Paul College, and then her RN degree from Alexandria Technical and Community College. And she was even asked to speak at graduation, where she truly spoke from her heart about getting to where she was. And it's very emotional to watch, especially with what ends up happening. By her parents' account, at this point in her life, at the time of her death, things were on a positive trajectory. In fact, on the evening of December 15th, 2022, she and her mom were texting. And her mom, Mary Jo, says everything seemed completely fine, nothing out of the ordinary. But in the early morning hours of the 16th, everything changed. And everything changed. And everything went downhill, like I said, so fast. At 2.50 a.m., St. Paul police dispatchers responded to a 911 call from someone reporting that his friend, Alex Penig, had just shot herself in her apartment. All units were immediately sent to her building, and they were met and escorted to her apartment by Matthew Ecker. Now, Matthew was Alex's friend, and he led them from the lobby to the elevator, and then finally to her bathroom, which was just to the right of the front door. Unfortunately, though, there was nothing that they could do to save her. Alex was found lying face up with her left hand covering a gun, which was resting on the left side of her shoulder area. She had suffered a gunshot wound to her left temple, and at first glance, it did appear as though her injury was self-inflicted. Neighbors were spoken to, and no one remembered hearing anything, which kind of blows my mind, especially in an apartment complex. But they had to go to the hospital, and they were told that they would be taken to the hospital, and they had to go to the hospital, and they had to go to the hospital, and they had to go to the hospital, and they had to go to the hospital, and they had to go to the hospital, and they had to go to the hospital, and they had to go to the hospital, and they had to go to the hospital, and they had to go to the hospital, and they had to go to the hospital, and they had to go to the hospital, and they had to go to the hospital, of the events that night. And he gave them his version of events right there in the hallway of her building, and this conversation was captured on BodyCamp, so you'll be able to see it for yourself. And at first, he appears to be too emotional to really explain what happened, but after catching his breath, Matthews started explaining. Maybe you're picking out your very first policy, or maybe you're just looking for something that works better for you. Every runner knows the feeling when you finally hit your stride. You stop thinking about every step and start focusing on the journey ahead. Running a small business is a little more like that. But when you're juggling payroll, benefits, hiring, and HR compliance on top of everything else, it's hard to find your rhythm. That's where JustWorks comes in. JustWorks handles the back office admins small business owners can't afford to get wrong. Combining intuitive software with real human support, they help keep your business moving forward. Think of JustWorks as a running buddy for your business. The support system that's there to help lighten the load so you can focus on the road ahead. 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Plus, they're machine washable, so you can wear them again and again. Find your perfect level of protection at KNIX.com and get 15% off with code FLOW15. That's KNIX.com code FLOW15. That's KNIX.com. married, and she has been my girlfriend for like two years, and I'm a terrible person for that. And we went to a bar. Today? Yep. Okay. What's a bar? Does that make sense? Yep. And her boyfriend confronted me, and he punched me. Her boyfriend punched me. Okay. And he got kicked out. Okay. And we came back here after that. Like, everything was fine. Like you heard Matthew say, Alex was his girlfriend, or at least she had been his girlfriend. For about two years. He was married, and he and his wife had four kids, and yes, the two of them dated while he was married. And just like Alex, Matthew was also a nurse. The two of them had actually met in 2020 while working at the same walk-in clinic. And from what I was able to gather, it sounds like the two of them had broken up at some point, but chose to remain friends. So anyway, Matthew loosely explained their dynamic, and then he started to describe what had happened that night. He said they went to a bar called Camp, and then they ran into Alex's current boyfriend, who he says punched him. He then goes on to explain that the reason they were even together that night was because Alex called him, saying that she was afraid that her current boyfriend, Shane Anderson, was going to hurt her after a fight they had just gotten into. And it's important to note that Matthew lived three hours away, and he was also headed into work when she called. But he cared so much for her that he didn't want to let her go. He didn't want Alex. He decided to drop everything and wanted to be there for her because he wanted to, quote, help her feel safe. After coming home from the bar, though, Matthew says that she took his gun out of his suitcase, which, side note, he brought with him as protection against Shane. He then says she removes it from the holster, then proceeded to walk backwards towards the bathroom. He claims she told him not to come any closer or she would shoot. And then she locked herself inside the weapon. He then went on to say that he broke down the door to get to her when he heard the gun going off. But it was too late. And so I came here to help her feel safe. I'm sorry to kind of interject in the way that I know you've been talking to this officer, but she locked herself in the bathroom? Yes, she did. How did you get into the bathroom? I broke it. I just, like, slammed into the door after I heard the shot. Now, some context to this is important, okay? So, according to sources, Matthew did have his license to carry, and it wasn't unusual for him to carry his weapon. He had it on him a lot of the time, it sounds like. However, it was obvious to him when he got to Alex around 2 p.m. that she wasn't in immediate danger. Whatever fight that she had supposedly gotten into with Shane was over, and he was no longer there. But since he had already made the long drive, Matthew says they decided to continue to hang out, and eventually they ended up at his house. That bar, which is where they run into Shane. And Matthew was not lying about what happened at the bar. He certainly got punched by Shane. You can actually see security footage of it captured the entire interaction. Matthew and Alex can be seen entering together, but as they approach the bar, they end up separating. Matthew stays on one side of the bar while Alex walks over to the other, which, by the way, was where her boyfriend Shane was sitting with another woman. And pretty soon, Shane gets up and walks over to Alex and strikes up a conversation. No idea what was said. This was followed by Matthew making his way over to that side of the bar, and then he sits on the other side of Alex, so she's sort of sandwiched between them. And then, after just a few seconds, Matthew stands up, faces Shane directly, and reaches his hand out, almost as if he's introducing himself. But within seconds, Shane punches Matthew, and the two of them tumble to the ground. Shane did get kicked out after this, and Matthew and Alex ended up staying at that bar for another 45 minutes or so. And when they got to the bar, they were home is when he said Alex took his gun. So for a second, let's go back to that footage in the hallway of Matthew talking to police. He proceeds to explain what happened after the gun went off, which, according to him, there was a short delay in calling 911 because he couldn't find his phone. And this is important. He said he absolutely touched her and tried to render first aid because he's a nurse practitioner. And he also admitted to washing. And then, did you touch her at all or move her? I did, yeah, absolutely. Where was she? She was laying where she was. Okay, so how did you move her? Like, where did you do it? I tried to. All the things. I just. The whole. She was trying to breathe. She was trying to breathe and you were trying to stop the breathing or the blood? Yeah, yeah. So how did you try to give first aid? I know it's. I know, I know, I know, I know. I'm an MP. Okay. Am I working on an emergency at the park? And I saw her take a couple of just, like, chain stokes breathing. Yeah. Like, I understood that this was. Just done. She just. I tried what I could. So, and I know that I just have to because I have a medical examiner. I get it. Like, I tried to do what I could. Okay. And then I washed my hands. Then you washed your hands? Correct. That's why I don't have anything. And then you. Then you called the police? Yes. And if you're listening to the audio-only version of this episode, it's really important to know that Matthew was totally clean in this footage. Not a drop of water. Not a drop of blood could be seen on him. And right there at the end, where he said he washed his hands, is also super important to remember. It's a very big part of this case. I mean, you'd think that even if he washed his hands, there would still potentially be some blood on him, at least on his clothes or something. Especially since he said he tried to stop her head from bleeding. Yet, despite touching her bleeding wound, he was spotless. And this was something that, the officers noted right away and made them question if he was telling the full story. So they end up asking him to come into the station and give a formal statement, which he did willingly. Insurance isn't a one-size-fits-all. And shopping for it shouldn't feel like squeezing into something that just doesn't fit. Maybe you're picking out your very first policy. Or maybe you're just looking for something that works better for you and your family. Running a small business should feel a little more like that. But when you're juggling payroll, benefits, hiring, and HR compliance, on top of everything else, it's hard to find your rhythm. The support system that's there to help lighten the load, so you can focus on the road ahead. NYX, that's K-N-I-X, leak-proof underwear, is made for real life. So if you need a little backup or all-day protection, there's a pair for you. Find your perfect level, level of protection at KNIX.com and get 15% off with code FLOW15. That's KNIX.com, code FLOW15. That's NYX.com. Meanwhile, the scene continued to be processed, and that's where a few key things stood out. So for starters, investigators noticed that inside her apartment, there were six bottles of prescription medication, as well as some alcohol, which at first glance confirmed what Matthew told them in the hallway. So for starters, investigators noticed that inside her apartment, there were six bottles of prescription medication, as well as some alcohol, which at first glance, confirmed what Matthew told them in the hallway. about Alex having struggled with addiction. These pills included antidepressants, as well as amphetamines, all of which were prescribed to her and this could have backed up what matthew was saying that she did this to herself but only if you fail to look at the entire picture here because when you start looking at all the evidence and all the inconsistencies here you might agree with investigators that it looks like alex was not responsible for this just while looking at the scene police started noticing some glaring problems with matthew's story one of the biggest ones being the fact that the sink in the bathroom the one that he said he washed his hands in was bone dry now according to matthew there was about a four minute lag between the shooting and him calling 9-1-1 while he was looking for his phone and even if that's true which investigators believe more time had passed and i think you will too there's no way the sink would have dried that quickly plus think about it if his hands were blown the faucets would have had blood on them from when he turned them on right but those were completely clean and i should also mention the gun was completely clean too it didn't appear to have blood on it which doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you believe matthew when he said that she put it to her own head if alex pulled the trigger or she was holding the gun and it went off either way there would be blood spatter on that gun no doubt and then of course there was around her body and that already started to dry which tells investigators that that gun went off a lot earlier than matthew claimed and then we also have to go over the fact that investigators noticed that the position of alex's body did not match matthew's story and if you're watching this episode you'll be able to see this visual here which will really help but for my audio listeners you really gotta try your best to picture this basically what they found was that her legs were straddling either side of the door and they believe that if alex pulled the trigger and then matthew busted open the door after that like he claimed then her legs would have been swept to one side not one on each side and in their minds this suggested that the bathroom door was open when the weapon was fired and i'll touch more on some other inconsistencies as we go on here because there are quite a few but i want to keep walking through the events as they unraveled so matthew gets brought into the station for further questioning and meanwhile additional officers went to speak to shane because also while they were at alex's apartment they had observed two holes in the wall as if someone had punched them and they were trying to get a clearer picture of the alleged domestic dispute that kicked off matthew coming to town in the first place they also of course wanted to know if he knew anything about what happened but based on the body cam footage and it's tough to watch shane was extremely shocked and very heartbroken i have a witness i have a witness i have a witness i have a witness that says you were with matt matt ecker i don't even know who that is okay and alexandra you know alex alex penning i know who alex is that's i've been dating her so it's not good news for her um and we have investigators downtown who would like to chat with you about last night and it's not good news for her yeah what do you mean is she okay no what do you mean so the investigators wanted so she was in a lot of trouble um she she's in a lot of trouble and the investigators want to chat with you about about what you know about they for some reason they know that you were an ex-boyfriend or something uh that you might have information about who she hangs out with uh potentially you were with them at a bar last night is she okay just passed away no yeah so that's why we need you to talk to the investigators okay i can't share all i don't have all the information the investigators need to chat with you alex penning you're kidding me no i'm kidding me i wouldn't oh my god i'm sorry to be the bearer please please please please no so like we i i didn't see you yesterday he explained that they had been dating for a few months and it had been going very well so much so that they had planned on moving in together you're kidding me no yeah i wouldn't i wouldn't you cannot you cannot you cannot you cannot i know it's it's obviously as serious as it gets oh my god like that's that's like we like we're weird i was talking about like moving out of my place and like moving in with her like we like we've been like she's she's been okay like have you been you've dated in the past you've just been we've been like kindling no we've been like consistently like dating like for the past like three months oh okay and after this he voluntarily went to the station to answer more questions and he talked about their plans for the future what's interesting though is he described their relationship as a happy one yet matthew painted a much different picture a picture of a relationship filled with abuse now whether or not you believe shane is up to you and i don't feel like we have enough information to believe him or not but shane completely denies all the allegations of abuse from matthew he did admit to punching the wall the hole in the wall which to me is very concerning very questionable but he said that he did it because they got into an argument about what was taking him so long to move in and while i personally think that punching a wall is a big red flag makes me worried he claims that he never laid a finger on her he said that they fought like a married couple but things were good between them there is no proof either way to confirm or deny his claims and as for why he punched matthew which to me is also a big red flag considering how quickly that happened um he said that he was just jealous that alex was with another man but these events aside the nuances of his relationship don't entirely matter when it comes to the context of who actually pulled the trigger because we know that it wasn't shane i mean we flat out know he wasn't there that night he is not on security cam footage uh so investigators immediately didn't believe he was responsible and he got put off to the side but i don't know their relationship they could have had a horrible relationship for all we know or it could have been a good one i don't know there's not enough information and like i said it doesn't really matter when it comes to the context of her actual death this was between matthew and alex so investigators dug deeper into their history to see if they could uncover any of the facts about shane's death and if they could uncover any of the facts about shane's death and if they could uncover any of the facts about shane's death anything to explain what happened as i explained earlier matthew and alex met when they were co-workers at a clinic in 2020 and as far as the affair goes each of their parents have sort of a different idea of what happened his parents said that it was definitely a fair whereas her parents only describe him as someone that she worked with and without alex being able to give her side of things i'm positive there's a lot to their dynamic that we'll never truly understand what i can say though at least from my research is that unfortunately alex may have slipped back into a not so healthy pattern when it comes to drinking and pill usage several sources have reported that she was struggling to maintain a steady income because of inconsistencies when it comes to her showing up for work and just problems at her job and that matthew was helping her pay rent i'm not able to confirm this this is just what some sources say i also learned that matthew was doing something else for her remember how i said investigators found six bottles of prescription pills at her apartment well guess who was prescribing them matthew and to be clear it wasn't illegal for matthew to be prescribing her pills but it is highly unethical she was not his client and he knew about her history with addiction and from what i can tell he was getting her deeper into something that was incredibly dangerous given her past and three days before the night of her death she texted matthew and said i shut myself out to the world i needed a mental health break and i'm not very hopeful at the moment about life and of course these are very sad concerning messages and because of this matthew says it's obvious that she was responsible for what happened that she did this to herself but her parents adamantly deny that she was in that kind of headspace at this time plus they said that she didn't even like guns and had never shot one before which i should point out is pivotal to this case earlier i mentioned that the gunshot wound was to her left temple and that her left hand was placed on top of the gun and there was even gunshot residue found on that same hand but what's super important to note here is that alex was right-handed so you're telling me that she just picked up a gun and she didn't even know what was going on and she didn't even know what gun when she had never used a gun before with her left hand her non-dominant hand matthew even told investigators that he thought it was strange that she used her left hand, that he had noticed that because he knew that she was right-handed. And to me, and this is just my opinion, it almost seems like he was trying to get ahead of that part of the story because he knew that it didn't make any sense. But that's not even where the weirdness ends. Because remember how I said that the gun was clean and free of blood spatter? Well, so were her hands. There was residue from the gunpowder, but there was no blood. And this was an inconsistency that investigators, of course, brought up to Matthew when he was down at the station. For starters, I suck at shooting with my left hand because I am right-handed, right? Yeah. So I'm not going to do something with my left hand if I want to. I don't know why she did it with her left hand. It was in her left hand. But then to have her left hand completely clean. I can't explain that. Even if she did do it to herself, there would be blood on her hand, right? I would think so. Yeah. And if you say what you did and put it back on, there definitely 100% should be blood on your hand, right? Yeah. Her hand is completely dry, clean. That's what my partner here is saying. Right now, all this evidence does not add up. I can't. I just want you to just think. I just want you to think about this and what you're. You're asking me to confess to something I didn't do. No, I'm not. I'm asking you just to think about it. I made a new day. I'm asking you to think about it. I'm asking you to think about your wife and your four kids. Oh, my God. Matthew was also confronted with the fact that the blood around Alex's body had already started to dry. The reason why we are asking about the timeline so much, and you know, you're a doctor, the blood in, around her, on the toilet, in the sink, it was dry already. Okay. Is the timeline maybe just a little bit off? Because, I mean, you know as a doctor that blood doesn't dry that quick and doesn't start flaking or anything, and by the time that the police officer arrived, they noticed that it was dried already. Yeah. I mean, I. It's possible that I got up and went out and then came back and then went out again. I mean, it was not long. Okay. Not long. I mean, it was possibly maybe past I went out. as well as i don't think it would have been that long because that blood was starting to coagulate it was it was that okay yeah i i mean like i said i may have gunned it's possible that i went out to try to fight the phone and then came back and i was doing stuff and then went out to give the phone again and i i mean i don't think i passed up at all that i remember um pretty sure i didn't but it wasn't long okay it's not long his whole story during questioning really started to fall apart you could just tell he was trying to keep his story straight that he was struggling he knew it wasn't making sense and the detectives just weren't having it they're telling him dude this is not adding up and eventually they just decided they were going to leave the room and they told him to think about everything one last time and see if he could do it again one last time and see if he could do it again one last time and see if he could do it again maybe he would change his story that they would come back and ask him once again and guess what he did change his story insurance isn't a one-size-fits-all and shopping for it shouldn't feel like squeezing into something that just doesn't fit that's why drivers have enjoyed progressives name your price tool for years with the name your price tool you tell them what you want to pay and they show you options that fit your budget enough hunting for discounts trying to calculate rates and tinkering with the first policy or maybe you're just looking for something that works better for you and your family either way they make it simple to see your options no guesswork no surprises ready to see how easy and fun shopping for car insurance can be visit progressive.com and give the name your price tool a try take the stress out of shopping and find coverage that fits your life on your terms progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates price and coverage match limited by state law every runner knows the feeling when you finally hit your stride you stop thinking about every step and you're done you're done you're done and start focusing on the journey ahead running a small business should feel a little more like that but when you're juggling payroll benefits hiring and hr compliance on top of everything else it's hard to find your rhythm that's where just works comes in just works handles the back office admin small business owners can't afford to get wrong combining intuitive software with real human support they help keep your business moving forward think of just works as a running buddy for your business the support system that's there to help lighten the load so you can focus on the support can make every step feel a little lighter chase your dream not the paperwork because you don't have to worry when it just works head to justworks.com to learn more after almost two hours in questioning matthew admitted that he moved the gun which is the only thing that makes sense of course and he stands by the fact that she was the shooter but he now claimed that he panicked and moved the gun after it all happened since the weapon belonged to him matthew said he was the shooter and he said he was the shooter and he said he was the shooter he said he was worried that he would get in trouble and rather than leave the evidence as is he said he moved it to his suitcase only to panic again and put it back in the bathroom on her shoulder he swears he didn't clean the gun though which makes no sense because it was clean clean when it was found now i just want to insert my own personal thoughts here i kind of think that he was planning on fleeing because remember they were drinking that night i don't think he thought this through at all i think he may have thought i'm going to put the gun in my bag and i'm going to leave it i'm going to clean it then put it in my bag and leave and then he all of a sudden remembered like wait i'm on camera here at this apartment complex i cannot get out of this i was here so then he decided to stage it i can't really make sense of his story any other way because it's so stupid i don't know why and i don't know why anyone would stage a scene this way and that's another reason why i describe this case as just bizarre everything about it to me is so bizarre how this happened so quickly matthew's behavior it's all just weird so the change that i have and i i was scared after this had happened and i maintained that the shot went off behind the door i was not in the pain that until the day i die i did take the gun and i put it in my suitcase i got scared for a second i didn't know what was going on i took the gun i made and put in the holster and i don't remember if i did or not i put it in the suitcase went back looked to her and said yep went back to the suitcase grabbed a gun and put it back there i don't know what my plan was there i don't know what i was thinking i got scared for a second but that's that is what i did did you clean the gun off i did not clean the gun off so there's gonna be blood inside the holster and blood inside the suitcase there should be if there was blood on the gun there should be that's all i didn't clean the gun off your point of getting rid of the gun was why i got scared i got scared but scared of what it is i don't know getting in trouble because it was my gun i got scared and then i knew it was wrong and put it back in there it was up here when i got it well it must have took you a long time because by the time the officers got there the blood's dry the other blood's quacking i freaked out i freaked out i took the gun i put it in my case i brought it back i i put it on your chest i moved i i was yeah i believe you man i believe that you did that but things were good between us they were fine were they though were they though yeah you just got punched by her ex-boyfriend i don't care about that but things are good yeah yeah you're saying that things are good you guys have been dating for two for two years and you have a wife and four children at home things weren't good things weren't good she wasn't happy with that and at some point he also recanted his part of the story where he said he attempted cpr and this many believe is critical to the case matthew now claimed he didn't know what to do so he didn't actually touch her yet at one point in his career he was an emergency room nurse so he definitely would have known how to help her and honestly i'm just guessing here but i think he realized he needed an explanation for why his clothes were clean and saying he didn't touch her would explain that and with his story flip-flopping like this the detectives definitely didn't shy away from calling him out plus investigators and many others don't believe that things were going as well as matthew said that they were between him and alex listen to this as the investigation goes on they end up finding more security footage and it was from alex's apartment complex like i mentioned a little bit ago and while they were viewing it they were able to track what time the two of them got home from the bar it was 2 0 5 a.m they entered her building and not long after they see something interesting because at 2 24 a.m both matthew and alex can be seen leaving her building together matthew is walking in front of alex And he noticeably doesn't hold the door for her. And maybe it's reading too much into it, but the body language there seems a little cold. But anyway, a few minutes later, around 2.30 a.m., they come back in and the energy has continued to shift. Now, Matthew claimed that they were just going to his car to grab his headphones, which, side note, I think is kind of strange. They both needed to go get his headphones, and why did you need them that late at night? Maybe he used them when he's sleeping. Why would she go with you? I guess she could have. It just feels a little weird. And that doesn't explain why Alex's body language was so different all of a sudden. Because just looking at her, she appears to be impatient. She appears to be annoyed and maybe even angry. She walked in front of him as they entered the building, and he can even be seen shrugging his shoulders at her, almost in a, what are you mad about kind of way. Of course, that's just how I'm interpreting it. And there are different opinions about it, but that is also the way investigators interpret it. And when her loved one saw this footage, they could see that she was sort of stomping her feet, which they laughed about in their interviews and said this is something that she was known to do when she was mad. And then, as we know, only 20 minutes after this, Matthew places that 911 call. So investigators believe that something had to have happened between them leaving the apartment and him making that call. But that something is still a mystery to this day. And what will forever bother me so much about this case, this pissed me off so much, is they never forensically examined her phone. They never summoned her phone records. It's truly so unbelievable to me. I can't wrap my mind around it. But listen to this. When they were walking back inside the apartment complex, Alex had walked into the building's entrance at first. And she's waiting for Matthew there. She stood there alone for a short amount of time while Matthew's still outside. Doing whatever it is that he was doing. And while she was waiting, she can be seen on her phone. But we don't actually know what she was doing on it. She could have been texting. She could have been texting Shane. She could have been texting someone about Matthew. Who knows? All we know is that Matthew came back in and she walked angrily through the lobby towards the elevator. And I just think that whatever she was doing on her phone could play a huge role in this case. Maybe we could have learned more about her headspace at this time. Maybe we could have. Maybe we could have understood more about her dynamic with Matthew. And investigators weren't ever able to look at Shane's phone because he said he lost it that night. I just find it strange that they didn't dig further. They were like, oh, he lost his phone. So whatever. Especially with what happened earlier that night at the bar. But again, he definitely didn't kill her. So I'm not sure how much his phone would do. And so part of me wonders if she was texting him and she was annoyed with him because he wasn't responding. Especially with what had just happened. At the end of the day, this really comes down to Matthew and Alex and which version of events truly happened. And I do have to say investigators had a pretty big wrench in their theory because the medical examiner could not definitively prove in the autopsy that it was a homicide. Her manner of death was only ever ruled undetermined. And that was by two different medical examiners. Which makes this case even more confusing and bizarre. That being said, there was one glaring piece of evidence that ultimately pushed law enforcement to move forward with an arrest. While Alex was being moved from the bathroom floor, investigators found this little metal ring underneath her body. And it's not like the type of ring that you would wear on your finger. This is a piece of metal that was part of the bathroom door's locking mechanism. The thing is, though, in order for that to have gone underneath her, the door would have had to be broken while she was still standing. But in Matthew's version of the story, he forced it open after the gunshot went off when she was already on the ground. Now, we obviously know that he moved the gun. And in doing so, we know that he repositioned her hand over the weapon. And he admitted to this. But at no point did he admit to moving her whole body. So that piece of metal confirmed. That she was standing when the door was opened. And because of that, investigators, and later prosecutors as well, started to paint a new picture. What if Alex and Matthew got into some type of argument? Which it seems like the energy between them in that footage as they were headed back upstairs wasn't great. At least it seems that way. So what if they get into an argument when they go upstairs, and then Alex ran into the bathroom to try and get away from him to seek safety? And then what if Matthew broke the door open, she kind of hid behind it, and he reached around and shot Alex in the temple? Would that be difficult? Probably, but not impossible. Because that would also explain why she was shielded from the blood spatter and why her hands were clean. And I'm sure a lot of you are already thinking, okay, but what about the fact that she had gunshot residue on her hands? Well, investigators say that that could have come from Matthew placing her hand on the ground. On the gun after the fact, which makes complete sense to me. So with this, they arrested him for second-degree murder. And his trial began in February of 2024. And Matthew was represented by defense attorney Bruce Rivers, who I'm sure a lot of you have heard of. He is a well-known defense attorney. He has a YouTube channel, in fact, where he reacts to trials and body cam videos and such. You might even recognize his theme song. Quite a bop, Bruce. Interesting guy. But anyways, during the trial, Bruce's strategy was to not only explain the inconsistencies in Matthew's story, but he also tried to paint Alex as someone who wanted to take her life. He talked about her history of substance abuse, her prior attempt, and the messages that she sent Matthew leading up to her death. The defense also tried to paint Alex as someone who wanted to take her life. He also tried to explain that the metal piece could have gone under Alex when Matthew tried to administer CPR. But let's not forget that he recanted the part of his story where he said he attempted to save her. They tried to poke holes in each inconsistency that I've shared with you, but there was still so much that didn't add up at the end of the day. And one thing I will say is that they never found gunshot residue on his hands, which, if you think about it, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Because Matthew admitted to moving the gun, therefore he should have had some time. And because he didn't, that part is quite confusing. I mean, he didn't wash his hands. We know the sink was dry. Maybe he did clean himself up in some way. Bruce explained that sometimes gunshot residue just doesn't transfer. I don't know. It's all very strange. As for a motive, I struggle with this, to be honest. It's hard to know anything for sure. Many people believe that their history of dating and the fact that he was prescribing, giving her a bunch of medications may speak to why he may have snapped. Maybe she was threatening him. They did find texts on his phone days before she died where she was asking him to refill those medications. I know some people have theorized, and I don't know what to think of this, but some people believe that maybe he wasn't going to refill those. He told her he wasn't going to, and she was mad at him for that and maybe threatening to expose the affair or expose him or prescribing her the medications. That's complete speculation. No evidence that that is the case. Were they just in an intoxicated argument and the affair got brought up? Maybe she was threatening to out him to his wife. I mean, who knows? The motive, super, super unclear here. It could have really been anything. And of course, without a strong motive, it does make it hard. And both sides were nervous about what the jury was going to ultimately say. In the end, of course, the defense wanted the jury to come to the conclusion that Matthew was not guilty, saying that because a medical examiner could not rule this a homicide, that they shouldn't either. But when all was said and done, that is exactly what they did. They found him guilty of second-degree murder in April of 2024, and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Like I said at the beginning of this episode, people are super torn on this version. And I don't. It's hard for me to say. I very much lean towards guilty. There is a part of me that thinks I can kind of see where there would be room for reasonable doubt. But I think ultimately, the evidence is strong enough. But don't get me wrong. It's tough. I had to think about this for a while because it is just so weird. And during sentencing, several people gave victim impact statements on Alex's side, asking that the judge give Matthew a sentence. That is reflective of his actions. Meanwhile, his parents also spoke and asked the judge for leniency. Matthew's family does not believe he is guilty. They are adamant that the jury got this one wrong, and he has tried to appeal. He filed an appeal in June, but the original conviction was upheld. I think despite there being justice, though, Alex's loved ones are left with a lot of questions. And the big one being, why? Why? And obviously, because there's not. not a straightforward motive, a lot of people struggle to believe he's guilty. I definitely want to hear what you guys think on this one, whether you think he's guilty or not. And either way, I'm curious to hear your thoughts because this one has really bothered me. Before I go, I do want to end with a few more notes about Alex. Since her passing, she has been deeply missed by all of her friends and family. Two of her friends and her parents actually get together often to tell stories and memories about her, which I think is a cool way to keep her memory alive. And her parents also built a chicken coop in their yard and they call it Alex's coop, which I loved that. And I think she would have loved that too, not only because she had a deep love of animals, but I guess right after she died, her parents had found a rooster in their yard. To them, it was sort of like a sign. And so now they have about a dozen chickens and raising them reminds them of her and helps them feel close to Alex at the end of the day. The cemetery where she was buried, it is also near their house. So they're able to visit her often. And Alex's case just makes me so sad because she was so young and she had so much life left to live and so many more people to help. She should absolutely still be here today. And it makes me sick thinking of all that her family and friends have had to go through. That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode and make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there. That's the 2026 Toyota RAV4. It's got bold standout style, intuitive tech inside, and now hybrid power standard, which means efficiency without the need to plug in. So whether you care about looks, smarts, or just everyday practicality, RAV4 brings all of it. If you've been holding out for the right SUV, this is your sign. Check out the 2026 Toyota RAV4 at your local dealer or visit toyota.com. See packages and options at toyota.com for feature availability.