OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Matthew Beyer pleaded not guilty Monday to charges he killed his two children at their Kaukauna home.
William, 5, and Danielle, 3, were found dead in their home Feb. 17.
No trial date was set, as the defense asked for time to review all of the evidence in the case. The next court hearing is a status conference Dec. 4.
Also Monday, Judge Mark McGinnis approved the release of the children’s bodies to their mother, who plans to have them cremated. The issue was discussed in court because it means the defense will not be able to hire an expert to examine the bodies. Beyer and his attorney endorsed the decision.
The children’s mother called police on Feb. 17 to report their deaths. The mother and Beyer both admitted the two did not have a good relationship with each other, and were scheduled to appear in court later that day for a family court hearing.
According to the criminal complaint, witnesses and security cameras placed someone meeting Beyer’s description at the Cooks Avenue home.
In the first interview with police, Beyer said he was in Manitowoc County that night, and had not been in Kaukauna since December.
“Det. Krueger reports making the death notification to Matthew Beyer and noting very little initial emotional response by Matthew Beyer to learning of the deaths of his young children. Det. Krueger reports he has done many death notifications and found Matthew’s lack of emotion extremely unusual, especially because the death notification was about his two children,” the complaint states.
In an interview June 4, Beyer changed his story and admitted going to Kaukauna on Feb. 14 and stopping at the house, “but never went on the property,” the complaint states.
He went back on the 15th, but again didn’t go on to the property.
“Eventually, Matthew acknowledged going into the residence at 1201 1/2 Crooks Avenue in Kaukauna, WI on February 17th Once he got into the apartment he looked in the kids’ bedroom and saw the kids sleeping,” the complaint states.
He said he explored the apartment, and was looking for drugs, according to the complaint.
After Beyer’s arrest, a witness relayed a second-hand story to police, in which Beyer allegedly “said if he would have done it, he would have used a screwdriver through the side of the neck to puncture the larynx so they couldn’t scream out, or a sharp pocket knife to cut their throats so they could not scream out to alert someone, such as the downstairs neighbors. (A witness) also stated Matthew was upset about paying child support because (the mother) would not let him see the children and Matthew did not even believe he was the father,” the complaint states.
Beyer also told police he has a collection of decorative knives, and at one point said one was missing.
According to the autopsy, Danielle suffered five “sharp force” injuries to the neck, while William suffered eight such injuries to the neck and head, plus wounds on a hand.
Beyer also faces charges of attempted escape and taking hostages, for allegedly trying to break out of the Outagamie County jail.
