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Boyfriend strikes plea deal in murder of Hopkins woman
As part of his guilty plea, Matthew Brenneman agreed to a sentence of more than 23 years in the death of Danicka Bergeson.
MINNEAPOLIS — In a Hennepin County Courtroom filled with family and friends of Danicka Bergeson Monday morning, the man accused of murdering her last summer admitted to the crime.
Matthew Brenneman, 40, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while under a restraining order. He also admitting to a pair of aggravating factors: committing the act in the privacy of a victim’s own bedroom and treating her with particular cruelty by allowing her body to decompose following death.
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors and Brenneman’s defense team agreed to a sentence of 23.75 years (285 months) for killing Bergeson.
Brenneman previously admitted to abusing the 33-year-old Danicka, even pleading guilty to two cases of domestic assault back in June 2023. Following that plea, Brenneman was released from jail pending an Aug. 2023 sentencing and ordered to stay away from Bergeman.
Prosecutors say he killed her 11 days later.
Court documents filed on Aug. 23 detail how officers found Danicka’s body in the bedroom of her Hopkins apartment, 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.”
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office initially charged Brenneman with violating a domestic abuse restraining order and second-degree murder. Prosecutors then took the case to a grand jury, which indicted Brenneman on a count of first-degree murder.
“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 told KARE 11 in July 2023.
The current 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.”
Brenneman’s attorney read a factual basis for Brenneman’s guilty plea, with the defendant verbally agreeing with each point. The defendant said he went to visit her at the Ramsgate Apartments even though he was legally prohibited from having contact with her. The defendant shared that he was there for a week or so, adding “to the best of my recollection” the two watched fireworks together on the Fourth of July.
While staying in the apartment Brenneman said he and Danicka got into an argument in the bedroom that turned physical, and he restrained her on the bed. He agreed that Danicka had some health “vulnerabilities” while abstaining from alcohol, which she was at the time the physical assault took place “I believe it was day 2 or 3 of not drinking,” Brenneman shared, which he knew was dangerous for her.
At some point during the struggle, Brenneman agreed, Danicka stopped resisting. He left the room, and “several days later” he “realized” she was dead. He admits he did not render physical aid, check on her or call law enforcement.
Police found Bergeson’s decomposing body on July 8.
“Days later when you realized she was dead, that was when you put a plastic bag over her decomposing body?” asked defense attorney Sarah Koziol.
“Yes,” admitted Brenneman.
Prosecutors reiterated that Brenneman knew of Bergeson’s health vulnerabilities when she was trying to abstain from alcohol, but still failed to provide aid or check on her.
“That is correct,” the defendant answered.
KARE 11’s Lou Raguse has covered this case since its inception and said it was a difficult one for prosecutors, as the medical examiner was unable to determine Bergeson’s exact cause of death.
Brenneman is scheduled to be formally sentenced on August 23.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) on Thursday.
The resolution comes after decades of protests against the massive North Loop trash incinerator that burns roughly 365,000 tons of garbage a year.
“Today is a big step towards protecting the health of our communities and addressing longstanding environmental injustices that disproportionately impact communities of color,” said councilmember Robin Wonsley, in a statement.
The resolution calls for the incinerator to be permanently closed by Dec 31, 2027 and for the entire facility to be shut down by Dec 31, 2033.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
In October 2023, the Hennepin County Board signed off on a plan to close the HERC between 2028 and 2040, depending on how quickly the county can transition into a zero-waste system.
Of the garbage burned at the HERC, 75% comes from the city of Minneapolis. The other 25% comes from a dozen other cities in the area. The HERC produces enough energy to power more than 25,000 homes and half the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.
At a City Council Meeting on Oct. 10, Jenni Lansing with the City of Minneapolis Health Department provided analysis on the air pollution impacts of HERC. She said the health department supports working towards a zero-waste future and the ultimate closure of HERC, but said closing it now is not the solution.
“Overall emissions in Hennepin County are dominated by on-road and non-road, mobile and nonpoint sources, and these sources drive the cancer and non-cancer risks to health in Minneapolis,” Lansing said.
Hennepin County defines zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The snow is really coming down in some places with Maple Lake getting 3.5″ so far.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The wettest Halloween storm ever — is making mischief before little trick-or-treaters hit their neighborhood’s slushy streets.
Officials are reporting several power outages and car spin-outs.
There have been over 14,000 power outages, according to Xcel Energy.
The Minnesota State Patrol has responded to 169 crashes and 94 vehicles off the road, as of 2. pm. Thursday.
Meteorologist Beny Dery said an additional 1 to 2″ of snow is possible before things taper off this evening.
So far some of the totals around town are: 3.5″ Maple Lake, 3.0″ Buffalo, 2.5″ Dassel, 2.4″ Windom, 2.0″ St. Bonifacious, 1.5″ Maple Plain and 1.5″ in Bethel.
The snow is expected to let up from west to east and should wrap up for the metro between 5 to 6 p.m.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
