Cleveland, OH – A Virginia woman who admitted to driving across state lines and executing a man in the woods of Cuyahoga Valley National Park has been sentenced to more than two decades behind bars.
Chelsea Perkins, 35, of Alexandria, was ordered to serve 270 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence on federal land. U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. handed down the sentence Tuesday, also imposing five years of supervised release once her prison term is complete.
According to court records, Perkins traveled more than 300 miles in March 2021 to meet 31-year-old Matthew Dunmire. The two stayed overnight at a rental home before Perkins drove him deep into the national park in Valley View. Prosecutors said the pair hiked past a cemetery, across ravines, and into a wooded off-trail area, where Perkins pulled a loaded 9mm handgun and shot Dunmire in the back of the head. She left his body behind and continued on to Michigan, where she got a tattoo of a noose on her forearm before returning home to Virginia.
Dunmire’s body was discovered days later by hikers. Investigators soon traced the killing back to Perkins. A search of her home uncovered three 9mm pistols, including one in a purse containing her photo ID. Testing confirmed her DNA on the weapon. Authorities also recovered a deleted draft of a fake suicide note on Perkins’ phone that was apparently meant to make Dunmire’s death appear self-inflicted.
The case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, National Park Service Investigative Branch, Valley View Police Department, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Police Department. Restitution will be determined at a later date.
Key Points
- Chelsea Perkins, 35, sentenced to 22.5 years for killing Matthew Dunmire in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
- Perkins shot Dunmire in the back of the head after luring him into the woods in March 2021.
- Investigators found her DNA on the murder weapon and a fake suicide note on her phone.
Justice in the park came with a sentence that ensures Perkins won’t walk free for decades.