Man researched ‘choking death and cyanide poisoning’ before shooting sleeping wife and dog and staged a break-in

In South Carolina, a 37-year-old man will serve the remainder of his life in jail for killing his wife and dog and then fabricating a house invasion to escape with his girlfriend.

According to authorities, Matthew G. Speck was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole by Berkeley County Circuit Court Judge Deadra Jefferson for the 2020 murder of Caitlin C. Speck.

A news statement from the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office states that following a five-day trial, Matthew Speck was convicted of killing his wife. In addition, Matthew Speck was convicted of one count of animal cruelty and one count of carrying a weapon during a violent felony related to the murder.

According to authorities, his wife was resting in their bed on June 5, 2020, when Matthew Speck shot and killed her. Speck shot and killed Bailey Mae, his Labrador retriever, after killing his wife.

According to the press statement, Speck then shot himself in the arm and body to cause minor injuries that would lead the authorities to believe his story that all of them had been attacked by home intruders.

Following a thorough investigation that included witness accounts, forensic evidence, and a five-hour interrogation with detectives from the Hanahan Police Department, Matthew Speck was taken into custody for the murders of his wife Caitlin and their dog Bailey Mae.

In addition to hearing testimony from doctors, crime scene investigators, one of Matthew Speck’s coworkers, and—most importantly—Matthew Speck’s fiancée, jurors also witnessed tangible evidence of the crime during his trial. The defendant protested to them about Matthew Speck’s marriage, according to his coworker’s testimony.

The girlfriend claimed in her evidence that Matthew Speck had informed her before to the murder that he was divorcing his wife and that they would be moving away together to begin a new life.

According to the announcement, prosecutors also provided proof that Matthew Speck had studied cyanide poisoning, choking death, and homicidal strangulation before to the shooting.

For killing his dog and carrying a firearm during a violent crime, Jefferson sentenced Matthew Speck to five years in jail in addition to the life term without the possibility of parole. Those sentences are supposed to run simultaneously, or concurrently.

Assistant Solicitor F. Alexander Myers, who co-prosecuted the case alongside Nicholas Young, stated that Speck’s blatant treachery and premeditation earned him his sentence.

A picture of Caitlin Speck and her puppy was shared on Facebook on Wednesday by the solicitor’s office. The caption read, “Rest in peace, Caitlin and your fur baby, Bailey Mae.”

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