A Michigan man who was charged with murdering and mutilating his girlfriend, and then living with her body faced court Thursday for a preliminary hearing. At the hearing, disturbing and graphic details were revealed.
Matthew Lewinski allegedly strangled Jerri Winters, who also went by Courtney, in December 2020, reported Oxygen True Crime. Authorities alleged that after murdering her, he dragged her body into the basement of their Clinton Township condominium. He kept the body for the next seven months. He is charged with first-degree murder, disinterment and mutilation of a dead body, reported Fox News. He is also charged for concealing the death of a person in connection to the death of his girlfriend.
After being charged on Aug. 4, 2021, he appeared in Macomb County court on Thursday. The first to testify was Lewinksi's sister, Debra Federico, who said that on July 27, 2021, it had roughly been a year since she was last in the house. The condominium association had called her that day because lights were left on inside the house. At the time, Lewinski was hospitalized. She did not enter the house, but waited outside. Her husband, son, and a family friend went inside the property.
She said that she knew her brother was dating a woman named Courtney, but she never met her face-to-face. Federico said they were searching for a ceramic Christmas decoration and believed it was in the basement of the house. There's where her husband, Joseph, said they found the body, reported Fox 2 Detroit.
Joseph also testified and said that they were inside and went down into the basement. He was the first to find Courtney's remains. He said that he didn't see a face, but he could only see arms and legs. Then he called over the other two men who said they needed to call cops.
Detective Michael Chirco, an investigative officer with the c, was the final witness called to the stand. Chirco and another detective first saw what looked like an unkempt home that was "somewhat soiled" and had a "musky air." He testified that when they entered the basement, the human remains could be seen on the floor through the doorway. The remains were described by the detective as nude, face down, lying flat, with its arms apart.
The head was turned to one side. It seemed to be mutilated with a large segment of the body's skin removed. He also said that several bottles of bleach were in the area, as well as a knife and rubber gloves. He also saw blood splatter around the basement.
Chirco and the other detective headed to meet Lewinski at Henry Ford Hospital, where he had been admitted the day prior to the discovery of the remains.
Lewinski's relationship with Winters started in April 2020, and she left the home in November 2020. When she got back, an argument between the couple escalated to physical altercations. Lewinski told the deputies that he choked Winters for approximately 5 minutes before she stopped moving, and then he moved her to the bathroom downstairs.
