Matthew Heikkila

After a birthday dinner with her boyfriend, Matthew Heikkila on January 29, 1991 Marta Morales went to his home that he shared with his parents, Dawn and Richard. They had only been dating a few months and there had already been a few issues but until they reached the home things seemed to be going okay. However, they got to the home and Matthew pulled out handcuffs and put one on Marta and one on himself and led her into the house.  Once inside he proceeded to show her the body of his mother, whom he had shot hours earlier, before picking her up for their date.  Richard also laid in the home dead and Marta was likely shown his body too but most reports just state she saw Dawn's. Matthew then forced Marta to spend the night in the home handcuffed to him. He would waiver between sleeping and discussing how he was going to kill both her and himself.  Eventually, by morning plans had changed.  By this time he has decided they would both live but that they were going to leave the country (was he planning on Jamaica where he was later found? I do not know for sure). Marta told him she had to go to her home, where she knew her mother would be, to get her passport in order to travel.  Marta's mother seemed to pick up on some signals, or even if she did not she refused to allow Marta to leave.  Marta was a college student and 19 or 20 so it is not like she had to listen to her mother but it worked in convincing Matthew who left without Marta.

When Dawn and Richard's bodies were found the story came out and there was little doubt as to who had committed the crime. As if they did not already know, there were at least two bullet shells found at the crime scene.  One had the word "Mom" written on it and the other said "Mom and Dad."  It was determined this was written on them before they were fired from the gun.  On February 4, 1991 Matthew was captured in Jamaica and brought back to New Jersey to face charges.  Even at his trial in December of 1992 Matthew's attorney admitted that he was guilty of killing his parents... the question was whether he was sane or not.  

Richard and Dawn Heikkila had adopted Matthew (some reports say as a newborn, some say when he was two or three years old) in the early 1970's.  It seems they had attempted to have children of their own and had been unsuccessful. However, just as Matthew's adoption was being finalized Dawn discovered she was pregnant.  She later gave birth to Joshua.  Matthew and Joshua would remain their only children and were as different as night and day. Some say that this was in spite of being treated equal while there are others, including Matthew, who would say it was due to being treated differently. Regardless as to which is true, what matters is how Matthew felt.  Most reports state that he, at the very least expressed, felt that he was treated differently because he was adopted and Joshua was their biological child.  Throughout his childhood and teens Matthew had some run ins with the law, mainly for petty theft and teenage antics and by all appearances Richard and Dawn were supportive of him.

Then in September of 1989 Matthew had an argument with Richard.  Matthew apparently shot several times into Richard's car and threatened to kill him. He was arrested and charged for that but the prosecutor's claimed that Richard and Dawn were not helpful and refused to cooperate.  In fact, they scheduled a vacation when they were supposed to meet in front of the grand jury.  In July of 1990 the prosecutor, Nicholas Bissell, who you will hear lots more about later, had Matthew evaluated by a psychiatrist who determined that Matthew had suffered from an "acute Psychotic episode," that he had "paranoid delusions" and was convinced that he would kill one day.  By August he was acquitted by reason of in insanity on the charges.  The judge involved in the case wanted to have him committed but Richard and Dawn insisted that they would get him out-patient care.  Keep in mind that Richard was a professor at a local college and was huge in the field of medical research, especially when it came to Parkinson's disease.  Dawn was also a successful real estate agent and so the Heikkila had prestige and money.  I found nothing that indicated that Richard and Dawn did get their son treatment and considering that by the time the court made their ruling Matthew was 19 years old it is unlikely that if he resisted they could have forced him since they had rejected the idea of the courts.   Despite that, just a few short months later, both Richard and Dawn were dead.  

After his arrest in February of 1991 Matthew began writing letters while in jail. In essence, jurors later admitted it was these letters that later convinced them that he was guilty AND sane when he committed the crime.  The letters were to various people including his brother Joshua and Marta.  Some were even to news outlets.  In a letter to Fox News when referring to Marta, Matthew stated, "I guess the reason I did not kill her was because I did not have any shells left. I would have shot her in the stomach so I could watch her die a slow and painful death. She deserved it."  He had stated in many of the letters very specific details of the murders and the preparation he took beforehand.  The letters often were riddled with threats against Marta, Joshua and even the prosecutor.  In one he had even bragged that he had "beat" an earlier charge with insanity once before and he would again. His trial ended in December of 1992 and ultimately the judge sentenced him to 60 years.

This case has several different side notes.  First, apparently after going to jail Matthew found his birth parents.  I am unsure that he legally changed his name but he now goes by Matthew Eric Dibenebelto.  He is housed at Sandy Hook correctional facility in Kentucky.  He spoke publicly for the first time in 2015 by writing to a newspaper to express his remorse and apologize for his actions. He referred to Richard and Dawn as his parents and at least on paper he sounded remorseful.  He has spend his time in prison learning to care for animals and has earned some certificates in the area.

In 1994, Judge Imbriani from this case, pleaded guilty to embezzling $173,000 from a partner. He received probation for that.  Then in 1996 he was found guilty of evading taxes on the fund he stole and was sentenced to 2 months in prison.  He died in 2002.

In 1996, the prosecutor from this case, Nicholas Bissell Jr., was convicted for taking $146,000 from a gas station that he co-owned. While awaiting sentencing apparently he was out on bail.  He was facing 10 years but decided to flee.  As authorities were coming through the hotel door in Nevada where he was he shot and killed himself.