Matthew Beyer sentenced to life in prison for killing his two children
APPLETON – A jury found Matthew Beyer guilty of two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for killing his two children, and Judge Mark McGinnis sentenced Beyer to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
After a trial lasting a week and a half, the jury came to the verdict following a little more than an hour of deliberation Tuesday afternoon.
Beyer, 38, was on trial for the murders of 5-year-old William Beyer and 3-year-old Danielle Beyer, who were found dead in their shared bedroom at 1201½ Crooks Ave. in Kaukauna Feb. 17, 2020. The trial started Dec. 1 with jury selection, and continued in the courtroom for eight days.
The jury went into deliberation Tuesday afternoon after the prosecution and defense attorneys gave their closing arguments. The jury reached a verdict around 2 p.m. At 3 p.m., Beyer's sentencing hearing took place.
McGinnis said this was the first time he has sentenced someone to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"I'm convinced that you are a ruthless killer without any feelings of remorse," McGinnis said to Beyer in delivering his sentence.
During closing arguments, the prosecution gave a summary of evidence presented at the trial:
Beyer repeatedly lied and changed his story, but eventually admitted to police that he broke into the apartment where the children lived with their mother and stepfather and went inside the children's bedroom in the early morning hours of Feb. 17, 2020.
Beyer's vehicle and phone traveled from Manitowoc to Kaukauna and back in the early morning hours of Feb. 14, 16 and 17, according to footage from multiple surveillance cameras and cell tower data analyzed by the FBI.
Beyer appeared to react nonchalantly to the news that his two children had been found dead, even smiling in a photo taken by investigators later that day.
Key evidence was missing. Beyer admitted to disposing of items, including the library card he used to break into the children's home, the sweatshirt he wore when he broke in and a pair of khaki pants his then-wife claimed to see him wearing that morning with blood stains. Also, a knife was missing from his knife collection that investigators said could have caused the wounds the children had.
After his arrest, Beyer asked his then-wife to fabricate evidence by buying a new knife, pants and sweatshirt and claiming she found them.
Beyer asked police few questions throughout the investigation. On the day his children were found dead, he asked law enforcement if they would inform family court to stop child support payments.
Beyer's ex-wife said Beyer once talked about killing William and Danielle months before their murders. A friend, Melissa Winge, said Beyer discussed how he would hypothetically kill children during a conversation shortly after William and Danielle died.
A family court hearing was scheduled for later the day the children were killed. That hearing was going to determine if Melissa Schuth, William's and Danielle's mother, would be granted full custody.
Despite claiming he drove in the middle of the night on Feb. 14, 16 and 17 to check on his children because of a sense that he had to check on his kids in case they were in danger, Beyer missed his afternoon visit with them on Feb. 15.
Beyer did not go to the children's funeral or other organized memorials.
Beyer had little visible reaction after learning he was under arrest June 5, 2020.
In the defense's closing arguments, attorney Amanda Skorr argued that the prosecution doesn't have a definitive picture of what happened that night. There was never any blood or DNA found that would tie Beyer to the children's murders. Skorr argued that it's possible the murders could have been committed by a family friend who saw the children often. That man often took a route to the children's house that wouldn't have gotten picked up by any surveillance cameras, Skorr said, and had buckets of laundry soaking in his basement the day the children were found dead when officers searched his house.
The jury's verdict wrapped up a case that investigators and attorneys have been working on for nearly three years. When the jury moved to deliberation, there were hugs and handshakes between attorneys and investigators at the counsel tables. Family members seated in the packed gallery benches similarly offered each other support.
Beyer has remained stoic throughout the trial. He showed no visible emotion upon learning of the guilty verdict or his life sentence.
Before McGinnis delivered Beyer's sentence, Melissa Schuth; her husband, Tyler Schuth; and Tyler Schuth's father gave victim impact statements. They each requested Beyer be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"This is a horrible, heinous thing that happened to our family," Melissa Schuth said. "We're not going to get to see them grow up, to see what they would become in life."
"There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about them when I see a child, and my heart hurts," Tyler Schuth said.
Outagamie County District Attorney Melinda Tempelis also requested the maximum sentence, pointing to the extremely violent nature of the deaths and Beyer's lack of accountability. Skorr pointed out that Beyer had no prior criminal record and said parole eligibility motivates inmates to follow rules and exhibit good behavior.
McGinnis calmly addressed Beyer when delivering his sentence. McGinnis told Beyer he is also a father, and that he and Beyer graduated from the same high school — Appleton West. He said he hoped to give some "final closure" after years of court proceedings.
"I can't understand how or why you would commit this offense. I struggle with that," McGinnis said. "And I think your continued unwillingness to be honest, to be forthright, to show remorse, is really, really concerning."
Beyer declined to directly answer any questions from McGinnis during his sentencing.
"This is a lot of sadness and hurt that you've caused," McGinnis said. "I wish you the best moving forward, Mr. Beyer, but I want to be certain that you never be released from prison."
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Contact Kelli Arseneau at 920-213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Matthew Beyer sentenced to life in prison for killing his two children
