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A Minnesota man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend just days after he was released from jail for previously assaulting her has been indicted on upgraded murder charges.

Matthew Brenneman, 39, was indicted on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder in the death of Danicka Bergeson, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Tuesday.

“Intimate partner violence requires a powerful response,” Moriarty said. “It is an act that leaves traumatized survivors and devastated families in its wake. We are aggressively prosecuting those who commit this violence.”

Brenneman, who was originally arrested on a second-degree murder charge, also had his bail increased to $2 million.

He now faces life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years if convicted.

The upgraded first-degree charge was for murder while committing domestic abuse with a past pattern of domestic abuse. One of the second-degree ones was for murder while under a restraining order for protection.


  Former US Army medic Danicka Bergeson, 33, was found dead, wrapped up in blankets on her bed. Courtesy Bergeson Family Former US Army medic Danicka Bergeson, 33, was found dead, wrapped up in blankets on her bed. Courtesy Bergeson Family

Police found the body of Bergeson, a former US Army medic, on July 8 wrapped in blankets on her bed after the building manager at the Ramsgate Apartments in Hopkin reported hearing groaning, yelling and banging coming from her apartment.

Cops detected “an overwhelming odor of bleach” from the bathroom, where they found Brenneman convulsing on the floor after he had drunk bleach, according to court documents.

The accused killer — who also had scrape marks across his face, arms and legs, as well as “distinctive scratches to his back consistent with fingernail scrapes” —  had been sprung from jail just 11 days earlier after pleading guilty to domestic abuse for beating Bergeson.

A judge had judge ordered him to stay away from her.

His attorneys, Emmett Donnelly and Sarah Koziol, sought to dismiss the case by citing Hennepin County Medical Examiner Andrew Baker’s report that was unable to determine a cause or manner of death, KARE 11 reported.


  Bergeson worked at a veterinary clinic but had to quit due to an Army injury. Courtesy Bergeson Family Bergeson worked at a veterinary clinic but had to quit due to an Army injury. Courtesy Bergeson Family

  Matthew Brenneman was indicted on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. Hennepin County Sheriff Matthew Brenneman was indicted on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. Hennepin County Sheriff

But prosecutors cited other evidence — including alleged suicide notes Brenneman wrote tied to the crime.

“I blacked out and lost control and sadly hurt a woman for the first time in my life,” one allegedly said.

He also allegedly wrote: “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.


  Danicka Bergeson “had a real zest for life,” her grieving dad said. GoFundMe Danicka Bergeson “had a real zest for life,” her grieving dad said. GoFundMe

“I never loved any woman I was romantically involved with as profoundly and honestly as [Bergeson],” he added.

Brenneman and his dad also discussed the legal theory of manslaughter that included the comment that a “crime of passion might get a lighter sentence,” according to court documents cited by the outlet.

Bergeson had taken a break to join the US Army and became a medic before returning to complete her degree in animal science and taking a job at a veterinary clinic, according to her dad, David Bergeson.

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