How did she die? Who killed her?

When Alex Pennig was found dead in the bathroom of her Minnesota apartment in 2022, her family and the rest of the community were shocked. Although investigators initially believed it was a suicide, more and more evidence found at the crime scene changed their minds. “The Strange Shooting of Alex Pennig,” an episode of CBS’ “48 Hours” delves deep into the intricate details of the mysterious case through exclusive interviews with the victim’s loved ones and officials involved in the investigation.

The murder of Alex Pennig was initially considered a suicide

It was 1990 when Jim and Mary Jo Pennig welcomed a little bundle of joy in the form of Alexandra L. “Alex” Pennig. Together with her sister Brittney in their loving and caring home, Alex grew up to be a compassionate, empathetic and intelligent woman. Given her sensitive and kind nature, she realized that working in the field of health care is her calling. Therefore, to achieve her professional goals, she enrolled at Montana State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in public health. Her education eventually led her to St. Paul’s College, where she received her Licensed Nursing Diploma before earning her Nursing Diploma from Alexandria Technical and Community College.

After fulfilling her dream of becoming a civil servant in the field of health care, Alex constantly sought opportunities to care for the forgotten and disadvantaged. Her life ended suddenly in the early morning hours of December 16, 2022 at her residence in St. Paul, Minnesota. When law enforcement officers arrived at the crime scene, they found a 32-year-old woman in the bathroom with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. It was initially reported as a suicide, but when they found some discrepancies in that theory — the gun was in her left hand, even though she was right-handed — detectives suspected foul play. After inspecting the crime scene, they found a broken piece of a bathroom door lock under Alex’s body, which eventually led them to the perpetrator.

Alex Pennig allegedly tried to commit suicide several times before her death

It was Alex Pennig’s friend, Matthew Ecker, who called 911 to report a suspected suicide in the early morning hours of December 16, 2022. When police questioned him about what happened, he said Alex took his gun out of his backpack and locked it. himself in the bathroom before shooting himself in the head. Despite his claims that they were in good spirits before she took her own life, detectives found several inconsistencies in his story. For example, he said, he called the police within four minutes of the shooting. However, when the investigators arrived, her blood had already dried up.

Additionally, Matthew told police he washed his bloody hands after trying to save her and then called 911, but the sink was dry when they arrived at the residence. What really put Matthew on the suspect list was that a piece of the broken bathroom lock was found under Alex’s body, meaning the lock had already been broken before she was shot. This contradicted the suspect’s claim that he broke down the door after hearing the gunshot. After digging into the lives of Alex and Matthew, the police learned that they worked at the same clinic and met several years ago. It was revealed that Alex had struggled with depression and addiction and had tried to take her life in the past. However, according to her family, she had come out of the spiral and was doing well at the time of the murder.

Someone close to Alex Pennig turned out to be the killer

When Matthew was questioned about the details of the fatal night, he told police that they had visited several bars and returned to her place. On the other hand, investigators believed they had a heated argument and she locked herself in the bathroom to get away from him. Based on the evidence, detectives believe that Matthew broke down the bathroom door, when the metal part of the lock broke and fell to the ground. According to their theory, he shot Alex in the head and she fell to a piece of metal on the floor. In light of all this evidence against him, the police arrested and charged him with the second degree murder of Alex Pennig.

Around February 2024, the killer went on trial for his crimes. According to Matthew’s defense attorney, Alex and Matthew were in an open relationship at the time of her death, despite the fact that the latter was married to a woman named Elizabeth. The defense also argued that she was dating Shane Anderson, with whom she allegedly had an argument that morning. To be near her, Matthew went to St. Paul. While they were at a bar just hours before their deaths, they reportedly met Shane with another woman. When they confronted him, Shane punched Matthew, the defense said. During the trial, the defense argued that there was no bad blood between the defendant and the victim.

On the other hand, Matthew and Elizabeth parted ways shortly after the death of Alex Pennig. Taking advantage of the situation, the prosecutor’s office called her one of the key witnesses in the trial. With enough incriminating evidence against him, a jury returned a guilty verdict in February 2024 and convicted Matthew Ecker of second-degree intentional homicide. A few months later, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the crimes he committed.

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