Maple Grove man pleads guilty to murdering mother, brutally assaulting father

A Maple Grove man who beat his 68-year-old mother to death and severely injured his father during a methamphetamine-fueled rage in July has pleaded guilty to unintentional second-degree murder and first-degree assault.

Matthew Witt, 42, will be sentenced on Feb. 27, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Tuesday.

Witt attacked his parents on July 24. Maple Grove police arrived at the family's home on Eagle Lake Drive N. around 7:30 p.m. that day.

Witt answered the door covered in blood, with a body lying behind him, according to the criminal complaint.

"Take me to jail. I did it," Witt told police, according to the complaint. "I let them live … they're hurt bad."

Police took Witt into custody and found his parents inside the home. His mother was on the floor, not breathing, with severe head trauma. Officers tried to resuscitate her, but she died at the scene.

Paramedics found Witt's father in the upstairs bathroom with multiple facial fractures and a laceration, the complaint said. He was taken to the hospital, where he told police that his son lived at home, suffered from mental health issues and may have been using meth.

Ryan Faircloth • 612-673-4234 Twitter: @ryanfaircloth