A Michigan man has been convicted of first-degree murder more than five years after strangling his ex-girlfriend and concealing her remains in his condo. Matthew Lewinski, 42, killed Courtney “Jerri” Winters in December 2020 in Clinton Township, Michigan, authorities said.
The Murder
According to reporting by Macomb Daily, Winters visited Lewinski at the condo they once shared roughly a month after their breakup. During the visit, she reportedly told him she had had an abortion.
The two got into a verbal argument while Winters sat in an armchair, and Lewinski made tea in the kitchen. The argument escalated into a physical altercation, during which Winters allegedly bit Lewinski. He then strangled her until she became unresponsive.
Discovery of the Body
Lewinski’s sister, Debra Federico, testified that she had not spoken to her brother since 2019 but kept track of the condo, which belonged to their father.
In July 2021, while Lewinski was hospitalized, the condo association contacted Federico about the unit’s lights being on with no one home. When she entered the condo to retrieve a ceramic Christmas decoration, she discovered Winters’ decomposing body in the basement.
Authorities confirmed that the body was nude, lying on its stomach, with some skin removed. The basement contained blood, bottles of bleach, a knife, and rubber gloves, according to detective testimony.
Lewinski’s Confession and Defense
After police interviewed him at the hospital, Lewinski confessed to killing Winters, saying she had “egged” him on. His defense team argued that Lewinski was a victim of “intimate partner violence” and had “snapped” upon learning about the abortion. They claimed Winters regularly threatened him and presented her troubled history and arrests to the jury.
The prosecution countered that Lewinski also had a strained relationship with his family and presented witnesses indicating that he had been in control of the situation. Prosecutors emphasized that strangulation requires conscious effort, describing the act as “five minutes of conscious thought to squeeze the life out of someone,” demonstrating a level of premeditation.
Conviction and Sentencing
Lewinski was found guilty of first-degree murder, mutilation of a body, and concealing a body. He faces life in prison, with his sentencing hearing scheduled for July 14.
