Tracking the hours before a young woman became a murder victim

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Sneak peek: The Strange Shooting of Alex Pennig

Sneak peek: The Strange Shooting of Alex Pennig 03:17

On Dec. 15, 2022, Matthew Ecker was headed to activity erstwhile he said he sewage a frantic telephone from his erstwhile co-worker and friend Alex Pennig. He said Pennig told him she sewage successful a conflict pinch her fellow Shane Anderson and was frightened of what he mightiness do. So, Ecker took his gun, which he owned legally, and drove to Pennig's St. Paul, Minnesota, apartment.

Ecker arrived astir 2 p.m. He would later opportunity his only logic for going to Pennig's was to protect her.

Early nan adjacent morning, Pennig was changeable dormant successful her apartment. Detectives utilized surveillance footage to portion together her last moments.

The altercation

Pennig and Ecker went retired to a fewer bars that evening and ended up astatine Camp Bar astatine 12:30 a.m. connected Dec. 16, 2022. Anderson was astatine nan bar. Surveillance video shows he walked complete to Pennig and began talking to her. Ecker walked complete to nan 2 of them. Things sewage heated, and erstwhile Ecker stepped successful betwixt Pennig and Anderson, Anderson punched him. Anderson was kicked retired of nan barroom and Pennig and Ecker stayed for astir an hr drinking and chatting.

Matthew Ecker and Alex Pennig get location for nan night

Alex Pennig, Matthew Ecker information camera video

At 2:05 a.m., Pennig and Ecker get astatine her flat building aft stepping location from Camp Bar.

A return to nan lobby

At 2:24 a.m., Pennig and Ecker are seen backmost successful nan lobby arsenic they locomotion retired of nan building. Ecker would later opportunity he was going to his car to get his headphones. Pennig (pictured) returned first and waited successful nan vestibule for Ecker. She paces astir looking astatine her phone.

Alex Pennig past seen alive

Ecker returns 2 minutes aft Pennig astatine 2:30 a.m. The 2 past locomotion done nan lobby and spell backmost up to Pennig's apartment. This is nan past clip Pennig was seen alive.

St. Paul constabulary officers get connected scene

At 2:50 a.m., Ecker called 911 and reported that Pennig changeable herself successful nan head. St. Paul constabulary officers raced to nan flat building and Ecker fto them wrong astatine 2:56 a.m.

Matthew Ecker's story

After starring constabulary officers to Pennig's apartment, Ecker sat successful nan hallway, appearing distressed and emotional. Officer Justina Hser approached him and began asking him what happened. Their conversation, which lasted astir an hour, was captured connected her assemblage camera. Ecker told her everything was good betwixt him and Pennig and that they did not person an argument. He said she grabbed his weapon retired of his backpack, backed into nan bath and locked nan door. Moments later, Ecker said he heard a shot, truthful he collapsed unfastened nan bath doorway to find Pennig laying connected nan level pinch a gunshot coiled to her near temple.

The weapon

Responding officers located nan gun. It was connected Pennig's thorax pinch her near manus resting connected top. They noted that this seemed odd. One serviceman past moved nan weapon to nan descend (pictured) to spot it successful a safe position.

Notable evidence

Ecker had told officers he washed his hands aft trying to thief Pennig, which is why his hands were clean. But nan officers noticed that nan bath descend was barren erstwhile they arrived. If Ecker had conscionable washed his hands, detectives believed nan descend astir apt would person still been wet.

A deficiency of grounds connected Matthew Ecker

Ecker was interviewed by detectives astir 6:30 a.m. connected Dec. 16, 2022. He had nary visible humor connected his assemblage aliases his clothes. It was later discovered that Ecker besides had nary gunshot residue connected him.

The defining evidence

While Ecker was being interviewed astatine nan constabulary station, nan forensic portion processing nan segment notified detectives that they had recovered a caller portion of grounds erstwhile Pennig's assemblage was moved. It was a metallic portion of nan bath doorway lock, and it was discovered connected nan level wherever Pennig's caput was. The detectives suspected that erstwhile Ecker collapsed unfastened nan door, that mini metallic portion landed connected nan bath floor. According to nan detectives' theory, Ecker collapsed unfastened nan bath door, past Pennig was changeable and fell connected apical of nan piece. They opportunity this proves nan bath doorway was forced unfastened earlier Pennig was shot, and that Ecker had lied to them.