Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
A woman from Alexandria, Virginia, has been sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for the murder of a man at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. Chelsea Perkins, 35, received a sentence of 270 months from U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and using or carrying and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence on federal property. In addition to her prison term, Perkins will serve five years of supervised release following her incarceration. Restitution will be determined at a later date.
According to court documents, Perkins drove over 300 miles from Virginia to Ohio in March 2021 to meet Matthew Dunmire, 31, whom she knew previously. After spending the night together at a vacation rental home, Perkins took Dunmire to Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Valley View, Ohio. The two hiked into a wooded area where Perkins shot Dunmire in the back of the head with a loaded firearm she had brought with her. She then left the park and traveled to Michigan before returning home to Virginia.
Federal investigators linked Perkins to the shooting through evidence collected during their investigation. Agents found three 9mm pistols at her home in Virginia, including one inside a woman's purse containing her photo identification; this firearm tested positive for her DNA. Investigators also discovered a deleted note on Perkins’ cellphone that appeared to be a fake suicide note purportedly written by Dunmire around the time his body was found by hikers several days after the shooting.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies: FBI Cleveland Division, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, National Park Service Investigative Branch, Valley View Police Department, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park Police Department.
The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Scott Zarzycki, Margaret A. Kane, and Adam J. Joines for the Northern District of Ohio.
