Matthew Ivester (Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)
A Colorado man who was charged with beating his girlfriend to death in front of in-residence surveillance cameras has pleaded guilty but only to assault in the second degree. Prosecutors in Arapahoe County say they would have had trouble providing the original case of murder in the second degree, saying they could not prove that defendant Matthew Ivester, 38, knew his actions would have killed Stephanie Long, 36.
According to the plea agreement filed on Thursday, he is going to spend 10 years behind bars, will serve three years of parole, and must participate in domestic violence counseling.
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“After reviewing this case filing, we could not prove the defendant intended to cause her death which is why we did not charge him with first-degree murder,” Eric Ross, spokesman for the District Attorney of the 18th Judicial District, told Law&Crime in an email. “Had this case gone to trial, we also recognized there would likely be some difficulties in proving the defendant knew his conduct would result in death, which is the standard (burden of proof) for second-degree murder.”
Prosecutors dropped the murder charge as well as two counts of assault in the first degree, one count of assault in the second degree, one count of assault in the third degree, and one count of harassment.
Sheriff’s deputies previously said that Ivester, ignorant that surveillance cameras were on at home, slapped Long and put his hand on her throat on Sept. 17, 2023. She complained about her head hurting and when she tried to call 911, he took the phone from her hand and stopped her when it appeared she tried to escape out the front door, documents stated.
Ivester told varying stories about what happened. All told, he blamed her drinking, her possibly using cocaine, or her attacking him, according to authorities. He also said he slapped her to wake her up after she stopped breathing, but details of his tale shifted, such as the source of the couple’s argument (supposedly some corn falling from the refrigerator), where Long supposedly stood when she allegedly headbutted Ivester, and details about their physical contact.
“He may have struck her today, but he cannot remember,” the affidavit stated. “He is not proud of this, but he has been physical with Stephanie in the past. She too has been physical with him in the past. He has put his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming while attacking him.”
However, investigators said they found footage inside of the home showing the couple yelling at each other and calling each other names the day of the incident, with the argument turning violent at about 5:11 p.m. Ivester struck Long over the head twice with what seemed to be a pillow from the couch, documents stated. Ivester allegedly grabbed her by the throat, asking her why she was screaming. He let go of her throat, but began to violently shake her, authorities said.
When Long referenced the cameras in the room, Ivester said they were not recording, according to documents. Until 5:23 p.m., he shook her again, slapped her several times, and put a hand on her throat while Long was sitting on the couch, investigators wrote.
“At one point she does stand up and appears unsteady on her feet and starts to walk around,” authorities said. “It does appear she is bleeding from her mouth.”
Long complained about her head hurting and tried to call 911 through Google. Ivester said it was not possible but he did not call 911 on her behalf, deputies wrote at the time.
According to authorities, he took a phone from her hand.
“She also asks him to stop hitting her,” they wrote. “She also tried to possibly walk out the front door, but Matthew stops her.”
Now prosecutors say that investigators determined that Ivester attempted to save Long’s life and that he called 911.
“These facts were taken into consideration as well,” Ross wrote Law&Crime. “This plea agreement avoids future delays and potential risks associated with a trial, while ensuring the defendant serves time in the Department of Corrections. The plea agreement includes prison time, mandatory parole, and restitution. Restitution will be discussed at the upcoming sentencing hearing.
Sentencing is set for Oct. 25.
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