A Michigan jury has convicted a man of killing his former girlfriend in their shared condominium, a verdict that closes a case investigators say began with a December 2020 visit and ended with the discovery of a mutilated body months later. The ruling, handed down on Thursday, brings a sentencing date in mid-July and renewed attention to how intimate-partner disputes can escalate into lethal violence.
Matthew Lewinski, 42, was found guilty of first-degree murder, mutilation of a body and concealing a body in the death of Courtney “Jerri” Winters, prosecutors said. The jury reached its decision more than five years after Winters visited the condo in Clinton Township, Michigan, where the former couple had lived.
Prosecutors described a visit in December 2020 that turned violent after an argument. According to testimony at trial, Winters sat in an armchair while Lewinski prepared tea, and the exchange became physical. Investigators say Lewinski strangled Winters and later moved her body to the condo basement.
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Ex-girlfriend killed: man kept her body in basement for seven months
Family members discovered human remains in the unit’s lower level on July 27, 2021, after condominium staff reported lights were on in an otherwise empty unit. Witnesses at preliminary hearings testified that the remains were unclothed and showed signs of mutilation; authorities also reported finding blood, cleaning supplies, a knife and rubber gloves in the basement.
Lewinski was hospitalized earlier in 2021 and, according to court testimony, was found wandering the condominium grounds unclothed. Police interviewed him while he was in the hospital; prosecutors say he admitted to killing Winters and described being provoked during the confrontation. The defense argued at trial that Lewinski had been the target of sustained abuse by Winters and that he “snapped” after learning she had ended a pregnancy. The prosecution countered with witnesses who described Lewinski as the controlling partner and argued the strangulation reflected conscious, deliberate action rather than an impulsive act.
- December 2020: Confrontation at the Clinton Township condo that prosecutors say led to Winters’s death.
- May 2021: Lewinski hospitalized after being found disoriented on condominium grounds.
- July 27, 2021: Family members enter the condo and report human remains in the basement to police.
- Thursday (this week): Jury convicts Lewinski of murder, mutilation and concealing a body.
- July 14: Lewinski’s sentencing hearing is scheduled; he faces a life term.
Prosecutors emphasized to jurors that strangulation requires sustained force and awareness, portraying it as an act that can show intent. The defense highlighted Winters’s troubled history and argued that her behavior towards Lewinski was a critical factor in the episode.
The case underlines how intimate-partner disputes can leave complicated evidentiary and legal questions—about motive, control and the line between self-defense and premeditation. For the community where the death occurred, the slow unraveling of what happened inside the condo also raised questions about how neighbors and property managers respond when a resident becomes isolated or erratic.
Lewinski faces life in prison at sentencing. Court records and testimony from the trial provide the facts summarized above; the jury’s verdict closes a chapter that began with a single visit but, according to prosecutors, ended in a deliberate killing and a months-long effort to conceal the crime.
