HOPKINS, Minn. — Editor's note: This story discusses domestic violence and assault. If you or someone you know needs help, call 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788 to be connected with someone from the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Weeks after 33-year-old Danicka Bergeson was found dead inside a Hopkins apartment, the man with a long history of abusing her is now charged with murder.
Matthew Brenneman, 39, faces one count of second-degree murder and another count of second-degree murder while under a restraining order for allegedly killing Danicka earlier this summer.
In July, Danicka's family said they believe an abusive relationship led to her death.
According to court documents, Brenneman was charged in April with assaulting Danicka — striking and biting her and telling police he was so intoxicated he didn't know what happened. He was released from jail the next day, then assaulted Danicka again in May. The criminal complaint says he struck, bit and choked her, and threatened to kill her.
In June, court records show Brenneman pleaded guilty in both cases and as part of his plea deal was released from jail pending his August sentencing.
On July 8, just 11 days after his release, Hopkins Police found Danicka dead in her apartment with Brenneman there in violation a Domestic Abuse No Contact Order.
According to court documents filed on Aug. 23, officers found Danicka's body in the bedroom, wrapped in several blankets and covered by a thick comforter.
At the time, prosecutors said Brenneman was taken to the hospital after apparently ingesting bleach. According to the criminal complaint, investigators found a note written by Brenneman on the kitchen table. In the letter, Brenneman claimed that he never loved any woman as much as he loved Danicka, and that he "can't try to live after this."
Brenneman was booked at the Hennepin County Jail after his hospitalization.
"We often said we would dread this call because we almost felt we knew it was coming at some point because it repeated itself over and over," Danicka's father David Bergeson said.
Brenneman appeared in court Thursday for a scheduled hearing on two pending domestic abuse cases. The judge entered convictions on those cases, which will affect Brenneman's criminal history score and potential penalties if he's convicted of murder, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
The criminal complaint includes a July jail phone call between Brenneman and a family member in which they discussed that a "crime of passion" could carry a lighter sentence. "Without discussing anything, that's kind of what it was anyway," Brenneman allegedly said. "It's not like I **** had been plotting something."
The judge set bail at $1.5 million for Brenneman's murder counts, but he is also held without bail pending the sentencing on the domestic abuse cases.
"She had a huge smile. Really engaging," he said. "Everything with her was always black or white. She knew exactly what was right and wrong. She never broke the rules. She really had a hard time with that."
Brenneman is set to make his first court appearance on the murder charges on Wednesday.
This is a developing story. KARE 11 will provide more details as new information becomes available.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and needs help, call 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788 to be connected with someone from the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline includes more options for support and identifiers of abuse on its website.
For Minnesota residents, Cornerstone MN offers resources and safe housing for domestic abuse survivors and crime victims. Call 1-866-223-1111 or chat online with the crisis hotline.
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