Matthew Scott Brenneman (Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office) and Danicka M. Bergeson (Legacy.com)
A 40-year-old man in Minnesota will spend decades behind bars for brutally killing his girlfriend inside of her apartment last year, beating and strangling her to death just days after he was released from jail for previous assaults against her.
Matthew Scott Brenneman formally pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of second-degree murder in the slaying of Danicka M. Bergeson, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
In exchange for pleading guilty, the Hennepin County Prosecutor’s Office agreed to drop the remaining charges against Brenneman, which included one count of first-degree murder. However, the now-convicted killer conceded to two aggravating factors in the murder, one for killing Bergeson in a “zone of privacy” and another for treating her with “particular cruelty” by leaving her body to decompose inside the home.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Brenneman would serve 23.75 years in a state correctional facility, which, due to the aforementioned aggravating factors, is an upward departure from state sentencing guidelines. Individuals convicted of felonies in Minnesota typically serve two-thirds of their sentence, which in this case would be just over 15 years.
Following the plea hearing, prosecutors said the sentence was “appropriate” for Brenneman’s actions.
“Our thoughts today are with the family and community of Ms. Bergeson. Intimate partner violence leaves traumatized survivors and devastated families in its wake. This was a horrific instance of violence, and the long-term incarceration of Mr. Brenneman is appropriate for the sake of public safety,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “While domestic violence cases can be difficult to prove, often relying on circumstantial evidence, the HCAO will continue aggressively prosecuting them and standing up for the safety of victims and survivors.”
David Bergeson, the victim’s father, told Minneapolis Fox affiliate WFTC that the outcome was disappointing.
“We were hoping for a plea with a much stronger sentence, you know, upwards, closer to the 30. But maybe some play in there. But, you know, we certainly thought that we could get a stronger sentencing,” he told the station. “There’s frustration with the way the system works. I mean, even if you’re charged with first-degree murder, you only serve two-thirds of that, which is 20 years. And that in and of itself is a painful revelation.”
As previously reported, officers from the Hopkins Police Department were called on July 8, 2023, to the apartment complex in Hopkins where Bergeson lived after a downstairs neighbor heard yelling and banging coming from the unit above. Police entered the apartment and found Brenneman inside the bathroom with a strong odor of bleach which he had ingested in an attempt to take his own life, according to authorities. He was arrested at the scene.
Bergeson was found lying in her bed wrapped in blankets and a plastic garbage bag. Police said she was covered in abrasions and bruises. Investigators believe she had been dead for at least a day.
A series of notes penned by Brenneman were also recovered from the scene which included an apology and apparent confession.
“I do not wish to divulge what all transpired, personal things exclusive to (Bergeson) and myself to know or seem as though I’m trying to justify the many terrible, absurd or unacceptable things that happened between us,” he wrote. “I never loved any woman I was romantically involved with as profoundly and honestly as (Bergeson).”
In another letter, he apologized for the crude way in which her body was found, according to documents.
“Things happened abruptly,” he wrote. “I didn’t know what to do and tried to go on a couple days. I can’t try to live after this. The end, Matthew.”
There were also several drafts of letters, including one where he wrote that he feels “sadness, guilt, remorse, shame, and regret.”
“I’m very sad and remorseful about all of this, but it is what it is,” he wrote. “I’m deeply sorry to (Bergeson’s) family, friends, and my own family and friends.”
Brenneman had a history of domestic violence incidents and had been released from jail eleven days before Bergeson’s body was discovered after he pleaded guilty to domestic assault against her.
David Harris contributed to this report.
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