Report: Cape man strangled girlfriend during argument; She ‘wouldn’t shut ... up,’ he stated

by CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 4/8/09

Matthew Gullett told a witness he strangled his live-in girlfriend and put her body in an adjoining apartment bathroom, according to an arrest report released Tuesday.

Gullett, 26, reportedly admitted to an individual, whose name was redacted from police documents, that he had strangled Shannon Sweet, 27, during an argument because she "just wouldn't shut the (expletive) up."

The couple may have been arguing about drugs and money, documents state.

Police discovered Sweet's body in an efficiency shower stall, covered with a blow-up mattress, at 4921 Coronado Parkway on March 30 after a neighbor reported a strong odor.

The Medical Examiner's Office has determined Sweet's death was caused by strangulation, officials said. She was found with a belt and pants wrapped around her neck.

From the condition of Sweet's body, police determined she had been dead for "more than a few days; more likely closer to a week," reports state.

An arrest warrant was issued for Gullett and he was detained by the Muskingum County sheriff's deputies at an Ohio hotel Friday after being injured by gunfire in the incident.

He faces second-degree murder charges when returned to Florida.

Police said Gullett stole Sweet's car, which he later wrecked in a DUI accident. During his treatment at Lee Memorial Hospital for injuries sustained in the crash, Gullett allegedly fled the hospital.

Gullett later stole and wrecked a truck belonging to his father, Glenn Gullett, according to an investigation by the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

He also had reportedly stolen a ".380 firearm and various electronics" from his father's home and left behind various papers and clothes.

The witness said Gullett told him about the killing on March 27, at which point Gullett reportedly already had possession of his father's truck.

The witness said he did not believe Gullett killed Sweet at the time because "Gullett had talked in the past about how Shannon drove him crazy and how he wanted to kill her, but (the witness) believed it was just the aggravation talking."

The witness detailed a weekend trip to Englewood, where Gullett dropped him off at a friend's home in his father's truck, and later returned to the home in a white Cadillac.

Police found Gullett at the Best Value Inn at 4925 E. Pike in Zanesville, Ohio, after deputies spotted the 1995 Cadillac El Dorado which was reported stolen.

"Based on the information gathered and obtained, it is believed that Matthew F. Gullett strangled and killed Shannon Sweet on Tuesday 3/24/09," Cape Coral detective Christy Jo Ellis wrote in a document warranting Gullett's arrest.