Matthew Heikkila forced his girlfriend, Marta Morales, to stay at his home after he murdered his parents.
The gruesome murder of Dawn and Richard Heikkila shocked Bernard’s township in New Jersey. The investigation led to an unpleasant discovery that the family members had difficulty accepting.
In 2014, ‘Your Worst Nightmare: The Bad Son,’ a documentary on Investigation Discovery, explored the brutal murder and the subsequent investigation that led to the conviction of the culprit, as per sources.
People are looking back at what happened as the world remembers the tragic death of the couple on their death anniversary on January 29,
Matthew Heikkila Had Girlfriend Named Marta Morales- What Happened To Her?
Matthew Heikkila had a girlfriend named Marta Morales. She was one of the people who provided a testimony against her boyfriend, which helped to confirm his involvement in his parent’s murder.
Morales said Matthew picked her up and brought her out for dinner in New York after killing his parents. Later, he forced his girlfriend to spend the night at his house with Richard and Dawn’s body still lying in the open when the two returned.
He handcuffed her to himself and forced her to stay with the two dead bodies. She also added that he threatened to kill her as her birthday present.
? @DiscoveryID | #YourWorstNightmare S1E5 The Bad Son
On a cold November day Matthew Heikkila ends his rocky relationship with his parents by brutally murdering them in their own home and is determined to keep the nightmare going for his own girlfriendhttps://t.co/1eI344IDb2 pic.twitter.com/LV2QYM4Kht— Samuel Wang (@SamuelWang2018) June 13, 2021
However, the following day, on January 30, he traveled alone to Jamaica and fled the country. He was arrested and brought back to New Jersey five days later.
In 1993, he was given a life sentence with a minimum of 60 years in jail. He is detained at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, where he is not eligible for parole and faces a mandatory term till 2051.
Nevertheless, there has been no information about his girlfriend’s whereabouts since that day.
Matthew Heikkila Responsible Of His Parents Dawn and Richard Heikkila Murder
Matthew Heikkila was the murderer of his parents, Dawn and Richard Heikkila. The couple was found dead at their home. They were killed on January 29, 1991, and their bodies were recovered the next day.
Richard, a Parkinson’s disease researcher, was discovered at the foot of the stairs of the Heikkila residence at 7 Goltra Drive. And his wife, Dawn, a real estate agent with Burgdorff Realtors, was discovered in the second-floor corridor when the cops arrived.
According to news reports, they were both shot with a shotgun behind their heads, and an autopsy confirmed that the bullet wounds were the cause of death. Furthermore, officials discovered numerous spent shotgun round shells nearby.
Matthew Heikkila, then 20, killed his adoptive parents in their home in the Liberty Corner section of Bernards Township, on Jan. 29, 1991. https://t.co/2G5JXd2JAd
— MyCentralJersey (@MyCentralJersey) January 29, 2021
They also anticipated that a ballistic investigation might reveal information about the offender. Additionally, the authorities discovered a shotgun shell with the words “Mom” on one side and “Dad” on the other, indicating a premeditated crime.
The evidence was clear to justify Matthew’s involvement in the crime. Police confirmed his involvement after his girlfriend told her side of the story.
He was arrested and was sentenced to 60 years of jail without any eligibility for parole.
Where Is Matthew Heikkila Today?
Matthew Heikkila is in jail today. He was sentenced to 60 years of prison for 12 charges, including murder, kidnapping, robbery, unlawful weapon possession, and making terroristic threats.
The court ordered that he would not be eligible for parole and would face the sentence until 2051.