(KNSI) – A man who went on a crime spree starting in the Twin Cities and ending near Willmar has been sentenced to more than 38 years in prison.
Ameer Matariyeh has pleaded guilty to second degree murder and attempted second degree murder for a wave of violence carried out on October 22nd, 2024. Around 1:00 that afternoon, Matariyeh went to an apartment where his ex-girlfriend lives and started arguing with her, upset she was dating someone else. The boyfriend and the child Matariyeh shares with his ex-girlfriend were also inside. The three were able to run out, but Matariyeh chased after them, hitting the boyfriend twice in the head with a gun. Once they were outside, Matariyeh opened fire at them from the apartment balcony.
Police arrived, established a line of communication with Matariyeh, and spoke with him “for some time” before learning he had fled the building and was driving west out of the Twin Cities. Matariyeh stole a vehicle at gunpoint in Carver County and was picked up by law enforcement in southern Kandiyohi County just before 2:00 p.m. Matariyeh ducked into a property on Highway 7 near Lake Lillian. He shot 25-year-old Peter Mayerchak in the shoulder and fled in Mayerchak’s vehicle…