A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to murdering his girlfriend, days after being released from jail for abusing her.
Authorities discovered Danicka Bergeson, 33, buried under layers of blankets in a Hopkins, Minn., home in July 2023, according to a complaint provided by PEOPLE.
The Star Tribune identified her although the complaint did not name her.
Bergeson’s boyfriend, Matthew Brenneman, 40, pled guilty this week to many crimes, including second-degree murder. On July 8, 2023, Hopkins police responded to a report of “groaning, yelling, and banging” in a home, according to the August complaint.
Officers discovered Brenneman in the bathroom, reeking of bleach, and Bergeson dead in the bedroom, wrapped “tightly” in many blankets and with her head covered with a plastic garbage bag.
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During their investigation, police discovered many letters in the home that were reportedly written by Brenneman.
“I’m very sad and remorseful about all of this, but it is what it is,” he allegedly said in one note, according to the complaint.
“I blacked out, lost control, and sadly hurt a woman for the first time in my life,” he said in another note, according to the complaint.
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Brenneman was transferred to a hospital for medical treatment and then booked into jail, according to officials. While there, during a phone contact with a relative who reportedly stated that a crime of passion can result in a reduced sentence, Brenneman responded, in part, “…that’s kind of what it is anyway,” according to the complaint.
Brenneman had been out of jail for less than two weeks when the murder occurred, having pled guilty to assault against Bergeson, according to the complaint.
Brenneman is due to be sentenced in August, according to PEOPLE.