Married Dad Caught Murdering His Secret Girlfriend

just days before Christmas in 2022, chaos erupts in an apartment building in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Oh God, why'd she do that? Police find 32-year-old Alexandra Penick dead on her bathroom floor from a close-range gunshot wound to the left temple. Her boyfriend, 44-year-old Matthew Ecker, says Penick locked herself in the bathroom and pulled the trigger. But as police learn about Ecker and Penick's relationship, they begin to question Ecker's story. Although two medical examiners are unable to determine whether Penick died by suicide or homicide, a jury finds Matthew Ecker guilty of second-degree murder. He's. Hank joined BJ's Wholesale Club the day he became a father of 30. I coach football. Now Coach Hank saves up to 25% off grocery store prices, 30 pounds of pasta, three cases of protein bars, 75 sports drinks. And that's just pregame. He knows teamwork and BJ's knows savings. This is your home, Coach. Home of the Save. 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Visit prizepix.com for restrictions. details sentenced to 30 years in prison for pennix parents this is justice he killed her it was proven and i and i know it's true but just as strongly as pennix parents believe ecker did it ecker's family believes he didn't i know my son and he could never do this through the course of this episode you'll see cracks in the evidence we were provided inconsistencies and even would appear to be errors in police statements and records you'll see false statements given to police that may have affected their investigation into ecker it may all call into question the very investigation that put ecker behind bars let me be clear this investigation is not about taking sides it's to analyze the documents videos and facts we asked for from prosecutors and police and what they gave to us at the end you can decide what you think and how that shapes your view of ecker's guilt as decided by a jury or as his family believes his innocence december 16 2022 it's the holidays a peaceful snowy night in downtown st paul minnesota surveillance cameras capture alexandra pennig and matthew ecker strolling down the street after leaving a bar they go into pennegg's apartment building ecker opens the door for her and they stroll in everything appears calm less than an hour later 9-1-1 what is the address i got a girl who shot herself she alive is she breathing no okay i'm gonna get medical dispatch on the line just one moment thank you thank you what's your first name my name is matt she just used something right in the bathroom okay how long ago did this happen about four minutes ago all right they're on the way do you know where the weapon is right now it's right on her chest i'm so sorry okay i don't know why she did this police rushed to the scene ecker lets them in at the building door they race up the elevator ecker is bent over hysterically crying they race to pennegg's apartment they enter her bathroom and find a gruesome scene penning is lying in a pool of blood from her head she has a single gunshot wound to her left temple a pistol is resting on her left shoulder her left hand is on top of it pennegg was right-handed officers try to maneuver around the space it's a very small bathroom let me get the gun move officers take the gun and remove the bullets in the hallway officers are trying to calm ecker oh my god why did she do it keep breathing oh my god why did she do it keep breathing officers ask ecker what happened he admits right away it was his gun it was my gun in my backpack it was in your backpack yeah how'd she get it she just cramped it on the backpack how does she know that you're gonna go in the night thing because i i told her it wasn't there did you tell her today when you got here yeah did she make any threat before that that she was going to kill herself i didn't she just cramped it in my backpack i told her it wasn't there did you tell her today when you got here yeah did she make any threat before that that she was going to kill herself no i didn't she just cramped it in my backpack i told her it wasn't there did you tell her today when you got here yeah did she make any threat before that that she was going to kill herself she just crammed it and put it to her head she went into the bathroom and put it to her head how did you get into the bathroom i broke it i just like slammed into the door after i heard the slammed into the door after i heard the slammed into the door after i heard the shot were you guys arguing or something we're friends we're friends okay she is a girlfriend of mine okay she is a girlfriend of mine okay she is a girlfriend of mine oh my god i'm married oh my god i'm married oh my god i'm married and she has been and she has been and she has been oh like my girlfriend i was just oh my god i'm a girlfriend i was just oh my god i'm a girlfriend i was just for like two years for like two years for like two years and i'm a terrible person today and i'm a terrible person today and i'm a terrible person today do you live by yourself do you live by yourself do you live by yourself that you have a relationship with no that you have a relationship with no that you have a relationship with no pennegan ecker had met two years pennegan ecker had met two years pennegan ecker had met two years earlier pennig was getting her degree earlier pennig was getting her degree earlier pennig was getting her degree to be a registered nurse and met ecker a to be a registered nurse and met ecker a to be a registered nurse and met ecker a nurse practitioner while working at the nurse practitioner while working at the nurse practitioner while working at the same hospital same hospital same hospital i know that our relationship wasn't one i know that our relationship wasn't one i know that our relationship wasn't one sure i know it wasn't right sure i know it wasn't right sure i know it wasn't right i loved her there had been a documented argument there had been a documented argument there had been a documented argument though earlier in the evening not though earlier in the evening not though earlier in the evening not between pennegan ecker but between ecker between pennegan ecker but between ecker and pennig's boyfriend shane anderson and pennig's boyfriend shane anderson and pennig's boyfriend shane anderson pennigan anderson had been dating for a pennigan anderson had been dating for a pennigan anderson had been dating for a few months ecker knew about anderson it few months ecker knew about anderson it few months ecker knew about anderson it wasn't a secret in fact ecker tells wasn't a secret in fact ecker tells wasn't a secret in fact ecker tells police that pennigan anderson had a police that pennigan anderson had a police that pennigan anderson had a volatile relationship and just that volatile relationship and just that volatile relationship and just that morning pennig had called ecker saying morning pennig had called ecker saying morning pennig had called ecker saying that anderson had just assaulted her pennig had called ecker saying that anderson had just assaulted her pennig wrote to ecker via text pennig wrote to ecker via text pennig wrote to ecker via text the morning of december 15th he just the morning of december 15th he just the morning of december 15th he just showed up at my house breaking showed up at my house breaking showed up at my house breaking hit me in the face she wrote ecker hit me in the face she wrote ecker hit me in the face she wrote ecker tells pennig repeatedly to call the tells pennig repeatedly to call the tells pennig repeatedly to call the police and to take her apartment keys police and to take her apartment keys police and to take her apartment keys back from anderson anderson later tells back from anderson anderson later tells back from anderson anderson later tells police he was at pennig's apartment that police he was at pennig's apartment that police he was at pennig's apartment that morning but that he didn't assault her morning but that he didn't assault her morning but that he didn't assault her ecker calls out from work and starts ecker calls out from work and starts ecker calls out from work and starts driving the three hours to st paul from driving the three hours to st paul from driving the three hours to st paul from where he lives in fergus falls minnesota where he lives in fergus falls minnesota where he lives in fergus falls minnesota i came here because her boyfriend came i came here because her boyfriend came i came here because her boyfriend came so i came here was a guy so i came here was a guy so i came here was a guy you know i had my go in the backpack you know i had my go in the backpack you know i had my go in the backpack there there there because i was worried that her because i was worried that her because i was worried that her boyfriend would come here boyfriend would come here boyfriend would come here and that was ecker admits to police that he and pennig ecker admits to police that he and pennig ecker admits to police that he and pennig had been drinking had been drinking had been drinking all day a lot pennig's autopsy showed all day a lot pennig's autopsy showed all day a lot pennig's autopsy showed she had a blood alcohol content of 0.22 she had a blood alcohol content of 0.22 she had a blood alcohol content of 0.22 nearly triple the legal limit but law nearly triple the legal limit but law nearly triple the legal limit but law enforcement never performed a bac on enforcement never performed a bac on enforcement never performed a bac on ecker here you have ecker telling police ecker here you have ecker telling police ecker here you have ecker telling police over and over they had been drinking all over and over they had been drinking all over and over they had been drinking all day why do they not run a bac day why do they not run a bac day why do they not run a bac i asked the st paul police department i asked the st paul police department i asked the st paul police department about that but they said they can't about that but they said they can't about that but they said they can't respond because the case is under respond because the case is under respond because the case is under appeal so you guys went to three appeal so you guys went to three appeal so you guys went to three different bars correct and what different bars correct and what different bars correct and what happened at one of those bars becomes a happened at one of those bars becomes a happened at one of those bars becomes a concern for police at 12 32 a.m only two concern for police at 12 32 a.m only two concern for police at 12 32 a.m only two hours before pennig is shot surveillance hours before pennig is shot surveillance hours before pennig is shot surveillance cameras capture ecker and pennig cameras capture ecker and pennig cameras capture ecker and pennig strolling into a bar ecker says pennig strolling into a bar ecker says pennig strolling into a bar ecker says pennig knew shane anderson was going to be knew shane anderson was going to be knew shane anderson was going to be there but he's there with another woman there but he's there with another woman there but he's there with another woman instead of sitting next to ecker pennig instead of sitting next to ecker pennig instead of sitting next to ecker pennig walks around and sits on the opposite walks around and sits on the opposite walks around and sits on the opposite side of the bar closer to anderson side of the bar closer to anderson side of the bar closer to anderson the woman anderson's with leaves and he the woman anderson's with leaves and he the woman anderson's with leaves and he strolls over to talk to pennig this is strolls over to talk to pennig this is strolls over to talk to pennig this is when things appear to become heated at when things appear to become heated at when things appear to become heated at least according to ecker ecker walks least according to ecker ecker walks least according to ecker ecker walks over and puts himself between them over and puts himself between them over and puts himself between them tensions escalate he punched me tensions escalate he punched me tensions escalate he punched me i don't know what exactly happened but i don't know what exactly happened but i don't know what exactly happened but i kind of remember i kind of remember i kind of remember coming to her on the floor coming to her on the floor coming to her on the floor they pulled him off and kicked him off they pulled him off and kicked him off they pulled him off and kicked him off the bar and then heard i sat there and the bar and then heard i sat there and the bar and then heard i sat there and talked with other people for another 45 talked with other people for another 45 talked with other people for another 45 minutes minutes minutes we came back here and i thought we came back here and i thought we came back here and i thought everything was fine everything was fine everything was fine and then she just and then she just and then she just grabbed the gun And she folded it, and the vet said, what are you doing? Like, stop. Police continue to document the bloody scene in Penning's bathroom. See the blood on the toilet and the sink? Do you see the shell casing? At the same time, they begin to zero in on Ecker. They're skeptical if his reaction is real. Officers are also trying to understand why it took Ecker four minutes to call 911. It said that you waited a little bit to call the police? No, I looked at her, I ran back out, and I couldn't find my phone. Did you touch her at all or move her? I did, yeah, absolutely. Where was she? She was laying where she was. I tried to call the thing, and I just heard her hold her hand, and she was trying to breathe. She was trying to breathe, and you were trying to? I was trying to stop the blood. No, you didn't. So how did you try to get first aid? Um, I'm an MP. Okay. Like, I understood. I coach football. Now, Coach Hank saves up to 25% off grocery store prices, 30 pounds of pasta, three cases of protein bars, 75 sports drinks. He knows teamwork, and BJ's knows savings. Home of the save. Join for just $20. Join for just $20 at BJ's.com slash mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. Limited time offer. New members only. BJ's. Home of the save. Football is back, and PrizePix is bringing out their best offer yet. Lock in for kickoff, because everyone and everything is on PrizePix. What you want? Download the PrizePix app today and use code SPOTIFY to get $150. $150 instantly in lineups if you win your first $5 lineup. PrizePix. Run your game. Visit PrizePix.com for restrictions and details. Yep. This is just done. I tried what I could. And I know that I just have to because I have a medical exam. I get it. Like, I tried to do what I could. Okay. And then I washed my hands. And you washed your hands? Correct. That's why I don't have anything. And then you. The officer goes to the office. To the bathroom. The sink is bone dry. Why don't we have you come to headquarters? You guys. Hundreds of miles away, Penick's parents, Jim and Mary Jo Penick, have zero idea their daughter is dead. I had talked to Alex the night before. You know, we were talking about me being stuck in South Dakota and she was looking forward to coming out for Christmas. And she was talking about this new job that she had an opportunity. I mean, totally took us by surprise when the sheriff showed up. The Penick's always worried about their daughter. Alex had struggled throughout her adult life with substance abuse. Court records from the state of Minnesota, I found, showed that she had her license taken away twice for DWI. She also suffered from bipolar disorder, depression, and ADHD. She was on a host of psychiatric medications. She told Ecker in a text days before her death, that only recently had she started taking her meds regularly. Years prior, in 2016, she swallowed a bunch of pills all at once. And then immediately stuck her finger down her throat and threw them up. So it's not something I think she really wanted to do. We did call 911. They did pick her up and they quickly released her from the hospital after she'd gone through, you know, their evaluation. And she never, she never did that again. I can imagine it was difficult to see her through those difficult times of her life. It was, yeah, it was very hard. I mean, Alex, you know, I think we, it took us a long time to understand some of her challenges. Alex always tried to get better, to be better. Alex was a fighter. She was a survivor. She was full of life. She was beautiful inside and out. She was good to those who other people would step over. She would be that person that would pick somebody up on the street, that would cover them up with a blanket, go get them a hamburger. That was Alex. That was her soul. She loved animals and people. Her dream was to be a registered nurse. She enrolled to get her degree, but had to pause her education to get herself back into recovery. She was doing great, sober, had, you know, celebrated complete sobriety from any alcohol, any drugs, had been sober for almost two years. At Pennick's graduation, for her licensed practice nursing degree, she spoke about her previous struggles. During this time, I fought through the cruelty of mental health and substance abuse issues. With a painful past and fear of my future, the only thing that had kept me going to make a better of my life for myself were those inspirational words I would play over in my head at my hardest of times: You must be a nurse. And that's how I ended up at Pennick's. After her graduation, Pennick enrolled in a program to get her registered nursing degree. She moved to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and met Ecker while working at a hospital. That's when Pennick's parents say their daughter changed. I think her personality, she just got irritable and just, um, you know, kind of distant. She started drinking again. Pennick's parents say they didn't know it at the time, but after Ecker's arrest for her murder, they started to rethink things. You know, six, eight months into living up in Fergus Falls, it was not a good lifestyle. He was not supporting her. He was using her. In the two years before her death, Pennick had trouble keeping a job. She fell into debt. In August 2022, four months before her death, police arrested her for DWI. She spent two weeks in jail, ended up pleading guilty, and had an interlock device put in her car. She was put on two years of probation. A week prior to her death, she lost another job. But in typical Alex fashion, she kept trying to get her life back on track. And only 12 hours before she was killed, she had an interview for a job at a children's hospital. Nothing could have prepared the Pennicks for that snowy day in December 2022 when a sheriff showed up at their house in Minnesota. Forget exactly how she stated it, but I'm, you know, I'm extremely sorry to inform you that your daughter Alex passed away last night. And I said, "What happened?" She said, "Well, we're still working through that." One of the Pennicks' first phone calls after getting the news is to Matthew Ecker. She talked about this person as a friend. I learned that he was married. And then once we confronted Alex, that he was separated from his wife. She kept saying he was just a friend, though. So every now and then, Mary Jo Pennick would talk to Ecker about her daughter and see how she was doing. So when she gets the news, she calls Alex. She calls Ecker thinking maybe he has more information, but Ecker is already in custody. We had no idea, none, that he was involved, that he was even with her that night until we found out from the investigators. And then they learn even more. Not only had their daughter and Ecker been romantically involved, but Ecker had been supporting Pennick financially for a year and a half. And then, in June of 2021, in December of '22, Ecker had given Pennick $28,000, mostly for rent, but he also had been buying her booze. He fell into major credit card debt and had maxed out two credit cards. They also learned that Ecker had been refilling Pennick's meds for depression and anxiety, even though he wasn't her doctor. The messages between Pennick and Ecker days before Pennick's death show the two communicating at length about refilling her very little money. They also learned that Ecker had been using her for various prescriptions. In my basement, I have a huge bag of eight months' worth of meds that he prescribed her. And if you open up the pills, they're all there. She never took them. At the same time the Pennicks are learning about Ecker's involvement in their daughter's death, Ecker's mother, Terri Randall, is as well. I called the detective and I said, "You have got to tell me what's going on. I need to know what happened." So the detective said, "You're saying that you're not going to tell me what's going on." "Your son is charged with murder, and it doesn't look good for him." I was absolutely shocked that he had been having an affair. There's no possible way Matt would ever do this to anybody, ever. He has the softest, kindest heart that I know. Yes, he made a horrible choice with this affair, but there's no way he would harm anyone like that. His goal in life was to help people. He wanted to help people the best he could, and that is what he wanted for Alex, was to help her. He couldn't just walk away from her because he cared about her. Both Ecker and Pennick's families believe that at the time of Alex's death, Ecker and Pennick were no longer in a sexual relationship. They were friends, at least that's what the two told their families. Randall says her son told her that that night he had had a tough conversation with Pennick. "I just can't keep supporting you financially. I want you to take one of these jobs. get on your feet, do better. At the precinct, detectives with the St. Paul Minnesota Police Department are trying to drill down Eckers' story. Tell me about your guys' relationship, you and Alex. Yeah, that's from, I'm going for about two years. I'm married, obviously, not to her. Our relationship is not something I'm proud of from that standpoint, but I care about her. Okay. I really do. I've been open with her. I've been honest with her. She has been open and honest with me. We understand our relationship. This is not, again, I know how this looks. I loved her, she loved me. Detectives would later uncover texts Penick had sent to Ecker in the days before her death. She tells Ecker she had been incommunicado the day before because she had to, quote, "Shut herself out from the world because she needed a mental health break." She writes to Ecker on December 14th, two days before her death, "I am not very hopeful at the moment about life." Ecker responds, "It will get better, Al." I know that for the last two weeks, she's been sad and upset with shame, with work, with a lot of stuff. I know she's been upset. Alex Penick's autopsy shows that not only did she have a BAC three times the legal limit, but she also had high levels of Valium, Prozac, amphetamines for ADHD, and trazodone for depression. The medical examiner said some of the levels were so high that they could be considered toxic or even fatal. While the state's medical examiner couldn't determine whether Penick died by suicide or homicide, she testified at Ecker's trial that some of the circumstances were inconsistent with suicide. When pressed by Ecker's attorney about whether she was aware of the messages Penick had sent Ecker in the days before her death about not being hopeful about life, the ME said she was not aware of them. We all have points in our life where it's sad, and we're gonna share that information. I mean, it's if she has somebody that she can talk to, and, you know, it's a release for her. And I think that's what she was doing. So if people point to these text messages and they point to her life having a lot, a lot going on at this point, in your minds, it does not mean that she wanted to take her own life. No, not at all. She had a lot to look forward to. She had another job offer. She was looking forward to taking on some new responsibility. She was involved in one of her friends that was up in Fergus Falls was getting married. She was excited about joining the wedding and participating in the wedding. I didn't sense anything that that was the end. I'm, you know, I've had it, I'm done. Back in the police interview room, Matthew Ecker tells the detectives he should have left the gun in his car, but he was worried about Shane Anderson possibly coming to the apartment. So you say that she grabbed your gun out of your bag. How did she know that the gun was in your backpack? I'm sure you know. She saw me take it out, put it in my bag. She saw that, okay. And where was the gun? Tucked underneath my laptop. Once we started drinking it, obviously I should have just, like I said, I should have put it in the car. Ecker admits to buying the booze and the heavy drinking that he and Penig did on December 15th into the early morning hours of the 16th. Ecker tells police about the incident at the bar with Anderson. And even after that, they kicked him out and we sat for 45 minutes to an hour. Thank you so much. You did a good job. Are you good? A good time walking home. Things were great. We were laughing. She was happy. A good time going up into her apartment. And then all of a sudden, I just had no idea where we came from. I guess I have a hard time believing things were good after you got knocked out by her ex-boyfriend. Maybe you played it cool at the bar. I stepped in between them and then I was on the ground. And the bartender was like, "Hey, this one's on me." I had a drink. We sat there. I was fine with it. I don't have any, I'm not a big guy. I don't, I understand that when I get into a tussle with somebody, chances are I'm probably gonna lose it. Yeah, I was standing up for her. Detectives ask Ecker repeatedly if he and Penick had fought that night. You guys weren't arguing or anything? There was no fight with you two? Not between us. But police don't think Ecker is telling the truth. They would later uncover surveillance footage from the apartment building around 2:10 a.m., approximately, 30 minutes before Penick's death, which shows Ecker and Penick back in the lobby after they had already gone up to Penick's apartment. Randall says she has asked her son about every single thing that happened that night, including why he and Penick went back downstairs. He had to go out to his car to get his earpods. And she said, "Well, I'm gonna go down with you 'cause I don't want you to be out there alone with this guy running around." You know, she was afraid he might come back. The video shows Ecker walking far in front of Penick. This time, he lets the door almost close on her. She follows him into the cold night. Investigators don't think Ecker was going for his earpods. You didn't have to go for a little walk to cool down? Three minutes go by. Penick returns to the vestibule. She appears unsteady on her feet. She pulls out her phone and reads some messages. They appear to be social media messages. Her family says she looks agitated. ♪♪ Four minutes later, Ecker returns. They exchange some words. He keys them in. Penick opens the door. She uses her left hand, something Ecker's attorney points out during Ecker's trial. Penick doesn't hold the door for Ecker and walks far in front of him through the lobby. Ecker shrugs his shoulders, hands out. Detectives believe the two were fighting. We know our daughter. When you see her in that vestibule, she is mad. I know her mannerism. So, there's some -- She was either angry that that fight happened or whatever. It was a challenge of some sort. It was a challenge of something. Something else stands out to detectives. Ecker's clothes are spotless. Strange, given the blood-soaked bathroom. Matthew, what were you wearing tonight? When that incident happened, I was wearing this. Okay. What were you wearing earlier that night? I had this and a pair of jeans on. A pair of jeans? I had taken the jeans off and put shorts on. We were going to go to bed. Bruce Rivers, Ecker's attorney at the time, says Ecker's impeccably clean clothes is proof that Penick shot herself behind a closed door. He didn't change his shirt. And he didn't have a drop of blood on. But police also question how did Ecker stay so clean if he was manipulating Penick's bloody head to try to help? We'll find out in the next episode. Fall never arrives all at once. First the air, then the light. And slowly the things you love begin to find each other. A jacket meets a dress. A hoodie slips beneath a blazer. An old cap finds a new scarf. Because you don't simply step into the season. You create it layer by layer until it finally feels like fall. Find fall your way at Ross. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. Now, I don't know if you've heard, but Mint's premium wireless is $15 a month. But I'd like to offer one other perk. We have no stores. That means no small talk. Crazy weather we're having. No, it's not. It's just weather. It is an introvert's dream. Give it a try at mintmobile.com/switch. Upfront payment of $45 for a three-month plan. $15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer first three months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. Mintmobile.com. Here-ish. And I grabbed a gun. I put it on my chest. And I was trying to-- I don't know. Like I said, I had medical training. And just for some weird reason, I just was trying to hold the blood in her head. That made no sense to me. I didn't know what else to do. Did you try CPR on her or-- I didn't. I didn't. I just-- I wanted to call 911. Because honestly, doing CPR at that point, it was a little under the head. I don't know if that would have done her any good. Anyway, so my-- once I realized that this had actually happened, calling 911 was-- that was the primary. And that was when I got up. I don't know why I washed my hands. I washed my hands. And then I went to try to find my phone. I couldn't find my phone. And that's when I grabbed her phone and called 911 back in the bathroom. How were you able to--? Did you happen to call 911 on your four-chamber pistol? No, I don't. She just-- it's just the emergency. There's that emergency button. Did you happen to wash the gun at all? No. Did you happen to clean up her hands or her at all? No, I don't know why I washed my hands. Police push back hard on Ecker. You guys are all happy. And then all of a sudden, you guys get there. And five minutes in, she goes in your backpack. - In grounds of government. - Yeah. - And then you watch her do this. - Yeah. - And then she takes the gun out of your holster, which I think it's a snap holster. - I mean, I was literally taking my jeans off and putting shorts on. - I thought you guys did. I thought you did that right away. You said that you did that? - Yeah, right away. Yeah, I was doing that, and she. - Okay. - I mean. - 'Cause right where your jeans are laying, your bag is right there. - Yeah, she was right there. - If she's going into your bag, you didn't snatch it or anything? You just. - I had no idea what she was doing. - Okay, okay. - Like I said, this came so on fluid for me. I had no idea why she was doing what she was doing. - I don't know if you guys. - We didn't argue. We didn't argue. We didn't argue. She pulled the gun, and she was backing away, and I was asking her what she was doing, and she locked the door of the bathroom. - Were you trying to grab the gun? - No. - And she accidentally went on? - No. No, I did not. I did not. I mean. It went off when she was in the bathroom with the door shut. Hand to God, I can't swear by that. All day long, that door was shut. That gun went off when the door was shut. - But police believe the door was open. They point to Penning's legs, which were straddling the door when they arrived, suggesting the door was ajar when she collapsed. They ask Ecker about that. - When you nudge the door, it's like, oh my God. - When you nudge the door. - I didn't hit her. That was the thing. I didn't hit her foot that I know of. - Okay. - I think she was backing off farther away. I mean, like I said, after I heard the gun go off, I hit the door pretty hard, so it's possible that I did hit her foot. - You know, I don't make anything out of the fact that the door was between her legs. That is 100% speculation. I tried to keep that out of the trial, and it just didn't make sense to me. - Why does it not make sense? - We demonstrated throughout the trial that there was plenty of room for her to be prone like she was. - But police theorized that the door was partially open and that as Ecker and Penning struggled at the open door, Ecker reached his arm around and shot her in the left temple, causing her body to collapse and her legs to split perfectly between the door. That also protected him from any blood spatter. Rivers argued at trial that the statement, but the state's medical examiner, though, didn't note any signs of struggle on Penning's body. But detectives uncover a piece of evidence in the bathroom that they believe proves that Ecker broke down the door first and then shot Penning. A small piece of metal from the door lock. It was found under Penning's shoulder. Prosecutors say this proves that Ecker broke through the door, shot Penning, and then she fell on top of the piece of metal. They point to how the top of the metal touching Penning's body is bloody, while the other side closer to the floor is clean. Rivers says the metal piece could have ended up under Penning after an officer, as you can see on the body cam, trips over her body while trying to check for a pulse. Or, he says, Ecker could have pushed it there inadvertently while he was trying to help Penning. - You know, when he was manipulating her head, looking at the wound and stuff. So that, I mean, that easily could have happened. - Police ask Ecker about the damage they found throughout Penning's apartment that suggests violence or a struggle. - There wasn't damage to the closet or directly to the bathroom. - There's a broken light fixture. - That was trouble. - Shane, it's the police, buddy. You're not in trouble. We're here about some of your friends. - Police go to Shane Anderson's apartment the morning of December 16th, only hours after Penning's death. - So, one of your friends was-- - Injured last night? - Last night? - Yeah. And thinking that you were with them last night? - Who? - We have a witness that says you were with Matt, Matt Ecker. - I don't even know who that is. - Okay, and Alexandra? Do you know Alex Penning? - I know who Alex is. That's--I've been dating her. - Okay. - But I don't know-- - Right now you're dating her? - I--I have been. - Oh, sure. - So, uh, I don't know what-- - Did you see her last night, by chance? - I didn't. I, uh--I didn't run into her last night, no. I don't know. I haven't been talking to her. Is she okay? - She just passed away. - No. - Yeah. - So-- - No. - That's why we need you to talk to the investigators. - How? Please, like-- - It's very important for you to-- - I need--I need to understand how-- - I know. And the best way to understand that is to go talk to the investigators. They have all the info. I don't--I can't even-- - Did she--did she, like, do it herself? - I don't want to--I don't want to give any information. - No. I need to know. - Oh, yeah. And I think that would be best to get it straight from the investigators. - I can't--I can't share all--I don't have all the information. - No. - The investigators need--need to chat with you. - No. - No. - At the precinct, Anderson admits to police he punched Ecker in the face at the bar. - You said she shows up at the bar at camps with some guy, right? - Yeah. - Did they sit together? - They did. - They sat together? - Right away? - I believe so. - So is that why you didn't go up and talk to her right away? - I didn't go up and talk to her at all. I was just, like, literally sitting there minding my own business, and the dude came up to me. And so I hit him. - So Anderson has done this. He's just told several lies to police. He knows that Ecker and Penig didn't sit together because when he went up to Penig, she was alone. And we see on the video that he did go up to her, even though he tells police he didn't. It's unclear if police ever tried to clarify these statements with Anderson. Officers do ask him if he had seen Penig at her apartment that morning. This time, he tells the truth. He says he did. - Did you take her keys yesterday at all? - No. She took her keys back. In the past week and a half, she has taken her keys -- given me keys and then taken them back multiple times. - Okay. - She's been drinking a little too much lately, and she's, like, not supposed to be drinking. Like, she's on probation. And so she gets a little, like, kind of crazy at, like, when she drinks. And I didn't -- I didn't talk to her almost all day. Like, for most of the day. But then I don't have a phone right now because, like, the phone was taken the night before. And so I was messaging her on Facebook. And so she was a little upset about that. She was, like, don't talk -- like, don't talk to me. But she does -- she, like, says that. Like, she -- she does that. But then -- So did the argument that you guys had in that morning, did it get physical at all? - No, no, not at all. - So she -- inside of her apartment, there was a broken light fixture. - I don't know. - How about there's what appears to be, like, someone taking a chair and slamming it down on the floor? Marks. - I don't know what that's from. - Is that from you? - No. - I heard in the closet door that was from a few weeks back. That was me, yes. - Okay. - I didn't put my hands on her, though. - The autopsy performed on Penig found that she had extensive bruising throughout her body, her arms, legs, and her shoulder. The medical examiner testified at trial that the bruising could be consistent with a domestic violence dispute that morning. Anderson says he didn't assault Penig. He asked him to sit down for an interview for this story, but he declined. - Please tell me what happened to her. - Cops got called there last night on a person reporting that she shot herself. Does she know much about guns? - She hates guns. - She hates guns. - Why do you say that? - She's said that to me before. Like, she doesn't even keep knives in her place. Like, she doesn't -- like, she has scissors. I've literally had to cut pizza with scissors before. - At trial, Ecker's attorney showed jurors these pictures of Penig. They weren't her guns. They belonged to a neighbor in her apartment building. That neighbor testified at trial that Penig merely wanted to pose with the guns and didn't seem to have any experience handling them. - She -- - Hated guns. - Wasn't -- I don't have guns. We're not -- we're not -- we're not gun people. She had never fired a gun before. She knew nothing about them. - There's no way she shot herself. - There's no way. There's no way. She didn't do this. I don't think so. - Detectives make their suspicions clear to Matthew Ecker. First, there's the obvious. Penig was right-handed, but the gunshot was to her left temple. - She had it down here first, and then she cocked it. Her left hand cocked it, but she ended up holding it to her left temple. - She left here. - She's not. - That's what was weird. - Later gunshot residue, or a GSR test of Penig's left hand, showed gunshot residue and that her DNA was all over the gun. Strangely though, Ecker's DNA was not found on his own gun. This discrepancy would become a big topic at Ecker's trial. Although Penig's left hand may have looked clean to investigators, there was blood on it. The medical examiner noted in her report, writing Penig's left hand had scanty, spattered blood. Police question Ecker on why there's no blood on the walls. But there were specks of bodily fluids. Slight blowback on the mirror and the poster closest to the door. It's documented in the crime scene photos. Then there's the issue of the dry bathroom sink. Police challenge Ecker on whether he washed his hands. But at the same time, that police question why the sink is dry. They can't understand how Ecker doesn't have blood under his fingernails if he had been holding Penig's bloody head. So you have your head like this with her, you're going to get blood everywhere, correct? I wouldn't think so. They said that he washed his hands, washed off the GSR. And then later on in their story, they said he didn't wash his hands because the sink was dry. So what is it? You can't have it both ways. It's unclear if police ever took blood samples from the sink and the sink handle. One of the towels appears to be used, but it was never tested for blood. It doesn't matter if you wash your hands or not. We still can perform these gunshot residue tests, so you're okay with us doing that in your hands. Before detectives leave the room to get the GSR test, they offer Ecker a different scenario. Because in their minds, Ecker's account isn't adding up. Did something happen in that apartment that you were in? Did you tell your parents that you were protecting yourself because you have a wife and four children and you didn't want her to shoot you with that gun? No, no, no, she never pointed the gun at me, never. It was at her the whole time. Police leave the room, but the camera keeps rolling. Oh, this can't be real. Why did you do this to us? Why? Why would you do this to us? Why? She's dead. What the? What the? Why did you do that? When police return 40 minutes later, they're ready to pinpoint Ecker on his timeline. But I'm trying to give you an opportunity to tell us what really happened there. Because right now, I'm telling you right now, Matthew, like I said, the evidence clearly shows what you're doing. What you're saying is not what happened. I coach football. Home of the save. Join for just $20 at bjs.com/mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. Limited time offer, new members only. BJ's, home of the save. What you want? PrizePix, run your game. And if you win, you get a free $50 prize. If you win, you get a free $50 prize. Fifteen minutes go by and Ecker tells officers to come back in. So, the change that I have, and I was scared. After this had happened and I maintained that the shot went off behind the home store, I was not in the bathroom when that went off. I will maintain that until the day I die. I don't want to do that. hand over, and then I kind of turned her head to see if there was an exit window. I asked the St. Paul, Minnesota Police Department about these inconsistencies, but they referred me to the Ramsey County Attorney's Office. A spokesperson told me that because the case is still active, under appeal, they can't comment. We're not going to hold you up anymore. We're just going to do a GSR. It doesn't matter. You can wash the s**t off. DNA, are you willing to give us a sample of your DNA? Yeah. Police leave the room and come back with the tests. They do a DNA swab in his cheek. They do a gunshot residue test of his hands. Investigators take pictures of him, his clothes, his hands. Those GSR tests would later show Ecker had no gunshot residue on either of his hands. No GSR or blood were found on his clothes. Investigators then sit him down again. This time, they pull up pictures of his wife and kids. I want you to think about the story that you're telling us. What happened? And I want you to remember that my partner's worked hundreds of years. Right? You know, okay? I didn't kill him. I didn't shoot him. Matthew, the story you're giving us right now, you're going to be looking at a first-degree murder as opposed to a manslaughter. Oh, f**k. I didn't kill him. His clothes. I didn't kill him. I didn't love her. I hope you don't love her more. And I'm f*****g with her. I didn't do this. That door was closed. You know that after we leave here, you're not going to have another chance to tell us your story. Right? We're going to go with the story that you told us, which we can disprove. Just so you know. So once we walk out of here. There's no other story. No, there is. The scene says it completely has a story. Then I have no idea what that story is. Because that door was. I can tell you what the story is. That door was shut. That's not a self-inflicted gunshot wound. And everything that you said happened isn't even close to what the scene says. You're asking me to confess to something I didn't do. No, I'm not. Okay. Remember, you told us you didn't have a story and then you knocked on the door and we came back in and you told us about the gun. That was a change. That was the only change. That's the only thing that I did. I was scared and that was stupid and I get it. You're going to bring it over to the jail. Okay? Look at those pictures, Matthew. Think about it. I have a f****** story. I have a prison. Are you f****** kidding me? Why didn't you just call me? Why didn't you f****** see? Matthew Ecker is escorted to jail. He's charged with second degree murder. Two weeks later, he posts half a million dollar bond and is released. I heard his story 50 plus times. The first three months after this happened, because I spent every minute with him, pretty much, for three months. He was suicidal. He was so upset. He just couldn't handle that she had done this to herself. But his story never changed. In June 2023, six months after Penick's death, Ecker's wife files for divorce and gets custody of their four children. He had a family. He had a wife and he had kids. He shouldn't have been there. He shouldn't have been doing what he was doing. He shouldn't have been with Alex. He shouldn't have been prescribing drugs. He shouldn't have brought a gun. I mean, it's just, there's a lot of things that he shouldn't have done. Now, was she totally innocent? No, we admit that. But still, she didn't deserve the ending that she got. And he gave her that ending. In February 2024, Matthew Ecker goes on trial for the murder of Alexandra Penick. Prosecutors jump on the four to seven minute delay it took for him to call 911. Which Ecker admitted. Then there's the controversies over the dry sink. The piece of metal from the door under Penick. And if Ecker was really crying when officers responded. There's the fact that Ecker admitted he moved the gun from the bathroom, put it in his bag, and then placed it back on Penick's chest. It was all just very contrived. Matthew Ecker's attorney tells the jury to look at the gunshot residue on Penick's left hand. There's a ton of it. There's no GSR on Ecker's hands. The jury sees photos of Penick's left hand. There's an injury on her thumb. There's a question about whether it's slide bite. That's a cut someone can get if they hold a gun improperly when they shoot. Ecker's attorney shows jurors one of the last pictures of Penick alive from the vestibule. She uses her left hand to grab the door handle. And there doesn't appear to be an injury to her thumb. Both the prosecution and the defense agreed on that. But for the prosecution, the state's medical examiner later determined that the injury happened after Penick was dead and it's not slide bite. Ecker's attorney argues it is slide bite and proves that Penick shot herself. What about the DNA? The jury sees evidence showing Penick's DNA is the major contributor on the gun. It's found all over it. The trigger, grips, the slide, and the mag base. There also was DNA of another unknown person. The DNA was insufficient to prove who that person could be. Prosecutors jumped. How could Ecker's own DNA not be on his own gun? Ecker's attorney argued Ecker's DNA could be that other unknown person. There just wasn't enough of it to point to Ecker. And if Ecker had cleaned the gun, as prosecutors suspect, the DNA of two people remain on it. What about the holster? The jury learns there's a mixture of DNA from five individuals, two of them being Penick and Ecker. Even with all that evidence, the state's medical examiner and the defense's M.E. tell the jury they cannot determine Penick's manner of death. They couldn't determine whether this was a homicide or a suicide. But on the stand, the state's M.E. says there are circumstances of Penick's death that make it, in her opinion, inconsistent with suicide. Namely, that Ecker had moved the gun and had had an affair with Penick. Obviously, having an affair is not great, but it isn't directly related to murder. Just because it had an affair doesn't mean he's a murderer. It doesn't go hand in hand. It isn't relevant to each other. What do you make of the moving of the gun afterwards? A guilty person wouldn't admit to that, in my opinion. He had a lapse of judgment and panic because it's his gun, which is understandable. And, you know, was it the right move? Probably not. But he fessed up to it and said he did it. So if you were guilty, if you did it, you wouldn't admit to that. Beyond the forensics, the defense tries to portray Ecker as someone who cared deeply about Alex Penick and never would have harmed her. But prosecutors tell the jury Matthew Ecker was no knight. There was no knight in shining armor. The alcohol that he had bought on the way down. He knew that she had issues with alcohol and drugs. Perhaps one of the most tense moments during the trial is when Jim Penick, Alexandra Penick's father, takes the stand. Ecker's attorney asked him about a report written by the sheriff that day when she told the Penicks about their daughter's death. The sheriff wrote that Jim Penick told her, was high or drunk, it could be possible that she killed herself, that she becomes incoherent when she's abusing her prescription drugs and drinking. When I asked Jim Penick about this, he says he may have said that to the sheriff. He was upset, confused and was in shock. But he maintains his daughter did not kill herself and that Ecker did. I don't think he's responsible for her death. You thought you were going to win this. Till the last minute of the, before the verdict. Because when the jurors came back in, one of them looked over at us with a really sad expression. Kind of like almost sorry. And I knew right then and there this wasn't going to go well. On February 16th, 2024, after only a few hours of deliberations, a jury finds Matthew Ecker guilty of second degree murder with intent, not premeditated. That was literally the worst moment of my life, probably. Nausea. Total disbelief. Ecker appeals his case to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. His appeal attorney argues Ecker should get a new trial because the evidence is insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ecker killed Penick. In April 2025, a three-judge panel unanimously denies Ecker's appeal. They say while they acknowledge the unusual circumstances, of an undetermined manner of death in a homicide case. A homicide case means the manner of death is homicide. They number one, defer to the jury on their decision. And number two, they believe the evidence is sufficient to prove Ecker's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It's just so frustrating to watch everybody gloss over the facts and hard evidence. Ecker's case, though, isn't over. The Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed to review it. His fate now rests with the decision in another high-profile Minnesota case, also out of St. Paul. The case against Nicholas Furcus, a story we've previously featured here on Long Crime Investigates. In April 2010, Heidi Furcus, Furcus's wife, was shot and killed in her home. Nicholas Furcus called 911 and claimed an intruder shot her. - You shot me, you just broke your arm. You shot me, and look at me. - After an 11-year investigation, Furcus was charged and convicted in his wife's murder. Prosecutors argued Furcus shot Heidi because he had kept his severe financial troubles a secret from her, and that he staged the home invasion to cover it up. Furcus appealed, arguing that Minnesota law requires circumstantial evidence to rule out every other explanation except that the person is guilty. In other words, if the circumstantial evidence in Ecker's case couldn't eliminate the possibility that Pennet took her own life, then the jury shouldn't have been allowed to conclude that Ecker was the only possible culprit. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled, in July of 2025, that it will take a look at Ecker's case, but only after they rule on Furcus. - Tammy regularly hauls stuff to her kids at college. That's why she shops at BJ's Wholesale Club, saving up to 25% off grocery store prices. Beef jerky, microwave meals, laundry pods, even they can't screw up. - Have you met my kids? - And with BJ's gas, she gets there for less. - They call me the road warrior. - This is your home, road warrior mom. Home of the save. Join for just $20 at bjs.com/missoula. Plush Mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. - Football is back, and PrizePix is bringing out their best offer yet. What you want? - Download the PrizePix app today and use code Spotify to get $150 instantly online. You can win a million lineups if you win your first $5 lineup. - Must be present in certain states. - I am so glad the Supreme Court's looking at it because I'm hoping they're gonna open their eyes and see the facts. - It's a little bit frustrating in that jurors found her guilty, judge agreed, Pellet, state of Minnesota, Pellet agreed with the verdict, and now it's up again for review. I just. - For us, it's very hard to accept that. - In the meantime, Ecker remains behind bars in Minnesota State Prison in St. Cloud. It's a true nightmare for both families. - You wake up and for one second you think life is normal and then you remember what we're going through and what he's going through. And it's, yeah, it truly is. Like, I feel like that, you know, like Amy had said too, she's like, I just kind of feel like a shell of myself. I don't, you know, it's hard to enjoy things and be happy knowing that he's sitting somewhere that he shouldn't be. - I don't wish bad on anybody, but based on the evidence, based on what in my heart know half that I know happened, he needs to serve out a sentence for what he did. - But there's one piece of evidence outstanding that everyone wants to see. The social media messages on Penig's phone that night. The messages she's reading as she's standing in the vestibule only minutes before her death. Messages that appear to bother her, to everyone who knows her. Who was she talking to? What did the messages say? No one has been able to get into her phone. It's locked and no one knows the passcode. I asked the St. Paul, Minnesota Police Department if they filed a warrant to get into her phone because they still have her phone. But again, they say they cannot respond because the case is under appeal. Are you curious what's on her phone? - At the very end, we were curious because we could tell from the video of the shots they had of her going into the apartment at the end of the evening with Eckert that there was a battle, there was issues, there was challenges. - We gave those investigators as many combinations as we could think of. - For a password to try to get in and they still couldn't do it. - There is someone who could have a clue about those messages, Shane Anderson. Remember, he told police he was talking with Penig that night on Facebook Messenger from a computer because his phone had been stolen the night before. When I asked Anderson if he'd be willing to share screenshots with me of the messages he was exchanging with Penig that night, he said the messages don't exist. - They were on Facebook Messenger and we are gonna get those texts. We are gonna open her phone eventually. This is not over. It'll never be over until he's out. - At the end of the day, if this doesn't go our way, and he gets out of prison, the only way we can look at it is from a faith, is that he's gotta stand in front of his maker someday too. - Alex was a good person. She had a very kind heart. - She had a sweet soul. - She's, again, she's in a better place. She's at peace and we hope to see her again someday. - While reviewing Penig's autopsy, there was something that caught my attention. Beyond the bullet wound, her bruises, and the injury on her left thumb, it was her tattoos. Alexandra Penig had tattoos all over her body, and they say a lot about who she was. She had pictures of a flower, mountains, and a stethoscope spelling nurse. She had a picture of a cross and a grumpy cat. She also had a few sayings. One was, "Pain shapes a woman into a warrior." And on her left shoulder, "Be brave, my darling. You have faced dark times before and you're still here now." - For both the Penig and Ecker families, times are still dark, but they're both still here fighting for what they believe happened to Alexandra Penig. For Law and Crime Investigates, I'm Kristen Thorne. Home of the save. Open soon. - Football is back and PrizePix is bringing out their best offer yet. What you want? - Thank you.