“Not the best example of a man;” 49-year-old woman died after the man her kids hoped could “be a father figure” indecently assaulted her before strangling her to death; man sentenced
Pennsylvania – In a brutal act of domestic violence in Pennsylvania, a 49-year-old man, identified as Matthew H., was sentenced to life in prison in connection with the horrific murder of his 49-year-old wife, identified as Jami H.—a woman whose children had once hoped he could have been a guiding presence in their lives. Instead, they were left shattered when he indecently assaulted and then strangled her to death inside their family home, later confessing through a chilling series of text messages.
Matthew received a life sentence plus an additional five to ten years for the murder of Jami. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and strangulation in her death, avoiding a trial. As part of the plea deal, charges of second-degree murder and aggravated indecent assault were dismissed. The tragedy came to light on the afternoon of February 5, 2024, when Jami’s then-11-year-old daughter made a harrowing 911 call. The young girl, traumatized and confused, told the dispatcher that Matthew was “really mean and hurts” her mother. She had discovered Jami’s lifeless body in a bedroom of their home—an image no child should ever have to witness.
Authorities arrived to find that Jami had been indecently assaulted before being strangled. Matthew was not at the scene. Instead, police traced a disturbing digital trail: over 120 text messages sent to Jami in the days leading up to and including the day of her death. These messages were described in court as threatening and deeply disturbing. Phrases such as “You’re not getting away with this,” “If I’m going down, you’re coming with me,” “How’s that for your marriage,” and “It’s till death do us apart” painted a picture of escalating hostility and premeditation. He also insulted her in the messages, said that he has nothing but hate towards her and that she deserved “nothing but misery and much much pain.”
In one of the final messages on the day of the murder, Matthew chillingly informed Jami that he was coming back home to “grab things.” Just two days later, he sent messages to a co-worker saying, “Dude I’m in a world of s—,” “I won’t be back,” and “the demon in me broke free.” He further claimed he had “overheard her having an inappropriate conversation” and that it was all he could take.
Even more unsettling were messages exchanged between Matthew and his son just two days before the murder. In the messages, Matthew implied he would be emotionally fine if he went through with killing Jami. His son tried to dismiss the comment as a joke, calling him an “old head” and laughing it off. But Matthew responded seriously, saying his son probably didn’t realize he meant it, and pointed to a past traumatic experience in his son’s life—something he claimed had triggered a violent mindset he couldn’t shake
At sentencing, one of Jami’s daughters stood in court and directed her statement squarely at Matthew. She branded him “a coward” and said her family had once believed he could “be a father figure to them.” Instead, he shattered their lives and took away “their only true parent.” Judge J. Conrad echoed those words, stating that murdering his wife was “one of the most cowardly acts a man can do.”
Prosecutors said Matthew later told detectives he thought he was “setting her free” by killing her—because he believed she wanted to die. He framed the murder as twisted mercy, a narrative rejected entirely by the court. In addition to life imprisonment, Matthew must also pay $6,500 in restitution. For the family left behind—especially the children who once viewed him with hope—justice came too late to save their mother, but not too late to ensure the man who stole her life can never harm another again.
