WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Waukesha jury has convicted Matthew Pahl of murdering his longtime girlfriend Stephanie Pavlons in 2022, in a case built entirely on circumstantial evidence with no known cause of death.
The complicated murder case was handed to jurors after eight days of testimony. Prosecutors must prove Pahl killed Pavlons despite investigators being unable to determine how she died due to the severely decomposed state of her body when found in the woods in the Town of Delafield nearly a month after her death.
Watch: Waukesha man found guilty of girlfriend's 2022 murder
"Just because she wasn't able to determine a medical cause of death doesn't mean you can't reach a conclusion that the defendant caused Stephanie Pavlons' death," prosecutor Kristi Gordon said.
Surveillance video became a key piece of evidence, showing Pavlons leaving her apartment with her purse and water bottle. The same video captured Pahl returning with those same items, but he never reported his girlfriend missing.
Pavlons' mother testified that her daughter was in an abusive relationship, though she also revealed that her daughter had previously attempted suicide. The defense seized on this history, arguing Pavlons left a suicide note and went into the woods on her own.
"I honestly don't know why he did what he did, but it doesn't prove Matthew killed Stephanie Pavlons," defense attorney Pete Wolff said.
The prosecution painted a different picture, alleging Pahl strangled Pavlons with her own purse strap when she tried to leave the relationship.
"Mr. Pahl was a violent and abusive partner. He killed Ms. Pavlons because she was trying to leave him. Something he couldn't let happen," Gordon said.
The defense challenged the murder theory in its entirety.
"What proof do we have that Stephanie was killed by another person? Could it have been suicide? Could it have been a medical issue?" Wolff asked. "The government certainly wants it to be a homicide."
The jury only deliberated for around 1 hour before coming back with a guilty verdict.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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