A Minnesota woman’s boyfriend is facing murder charges nearly two monthsafter she was found dead in her home and wrapped in layers of blankets.
Police also allegedly found her boyfriend Matthew Brenneman, 39, inside the bathroom “grunting, and growling” and smelling of bleach, the complaint stated.
In the aftermath of her death, Bergeson’s father recalled her as being “really engaging” and someone with a clear moral compass.
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“Everything with her was always black or white,” David Bergeson toldKARE11at the time. “She knew exactly what was right and wrong.”
“Danicka’s smile was infectious. Her compassion for animals and passion for learning were admirable,” friend Nancy Andrews shared in her obituary page in July.
Brenneman is now facing one charge of second-degree murder and one charge of second-degree murder while under a restraining order. It wasn’t immediately clear if Brenneman had entered a plea or retained an attorney.
Officers first spotted Bergeson’s decomposed hand buried in layers of blankets, and it was determined that she had been dead for a few days.
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The complaint further states that her friends and family began worrying about her on July 2. On July 7, a day before her body was discovered, Bergeson’s mother received correspondence from her phone that didn’t sound like it was coming from her.
The complaint cited phone records showing that Brenneman was allegedly in the vicinity of Bergeson’s address on June 29, two days after he was released from jail following his prior assault on her. At the time he was allegedly spotted in her area, there was an active restraining order against him from the court.
Police also found what appeared to be bloody clothing in a guest bedroom in the apartment. Brenneman allegedly left a series of notes strewn about the apartment, claiming his innocence and claiming that he had never been physically abusive with a woman before.
However, the complaint states that the mother of Brenneman’s child has claimed he had been violent with her as well, on one occasion allegedly pinning her to the bed and hitting her.
He is being held under a bail of $1,500,000 for each of the murder charges.
The complaint states that Bergeson’s autopsy revealed numerous wounds across her body, and the nature of her death was classified “undetermined.”
Afundraiserhas been created to support Bergeson’s family with funeral costs.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
