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The suspect in the murder of 23-year-old Emily Rogers Milwaukee woman who disappeared for more than a week before being found dead on May 5, had a history of domestic violence offenses, according to court records and local reports.
On Wednesday, authorities in Milwaukee arrested and charged Nicholas Matzen, 35, with first-degree reckless homicide and concealment of a corpse. He is being held on $500,000 cash bond.
Matzen was the father of Rogers’ 1-year-old child, as FOX 6 reported for the first time.
Nicolas Matzen
(Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office)
“This case contains allegations that the defendant strangled the mother of his child to death and hid her body in cold blood,” Amy Spanczak, an assistant Milwaukee County prosecutor, said in court proceedings Thursday. , according to FOX 6.
MILWAUKEE MAN CHARGED IN DEATH OF EMILY ROGERS
Prosecutors allege Rogers was breaking up with Matzen when he allegedly strangled her to death, the outlet reported.
The 35-year-old’s arrest record includes charges of possession of THC, felony possession of a firearm, recklessly endangering safety and using a dangerous weapon from 2010, as well as charges of arson and disorderly conduct related to a domestic incident from 2020, and a hit-and-run less than a month before Rogers disappeared, according to county records.
Miss Emily Rogers
(Milwaukee Police Department)
The 2020 arson case, which involved Rogers, according to FOX 6, was dismissed with prejudice after Matzen’s attorney argued the state delayed the trial too long.
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Prosecutors alleged that Matzen’s mother called Rogers at the time and asked him to check on Matzen, who had apparently been sleeping, at his residence. When Rodgers arrived, Matzen became agitated and attempted to choke him before leaving the residence.
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She later told prosecutors he sent her angry text messages, including one that displayed photos of Matzen burning Rogers’ belongings in a garage, FOX 6 reported.
Emily Rogers
(Milwaukee Police Department)
Matzen has served time for his arrest in 2010 following an incident in which he shot and injured a man before meeting a friend in a parking lot in an effort to dispose of his gun.
Earlier this month, one of Matzen’s friends would also lead police to a wooded area where authorities found Rodgers’ body, according to FOX 6.
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Representatives from the Wisconsin District Attorney’s Office did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
Matzen will appear in court on May 19 for a preliminary hearing.