Death penalty reconsidered in Cuyahoga Valley National Park murder case, records show

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - It’s been four years since a local man was murdered in a national park, and his accused killer is still awaiting trial.

While federal prosecutors initially said they wouldn’t seek the death penalty against Chelsea Perkins, 19 News Investigator Sara Goldenberg found the possibility of capital punishment was recently put “back” on the table.

It was a warm winter day in March 2021 when hikers discovered Matthew Dunmire’s body in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The 31-year-old’s life was tragically cut short by a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Nine months later, his accused killer was indicted by a federal grand jury. Chelsea Perkins faces a firearms charge and two counts of murder, but after years of delays and failed plea negotiations, the case has yet to go to trial.

In January 2023, during a pause in federal executions, court records show prosecutors did not intend to seek the death penalty against Perkins.

But 19 Investigates found the possibility for capital punishment was recently revisited after President Donald Trump signed an executive order restoring federal executions on his first day in office. At a hearing in February, prosecutors told the court, quote, “The Department of Justice is undertaking another review of whether Perkins should face the death penalty.”

Records show the Attorney General’s Capital Review Committee reviewed the case a second time, and in March, prosecutors once again said they don’t intend to seek the death penalty.

This case was originally set to go to trial in February 2022, but the date has been pushed back at least four times. Perkins is now scheduled to face a federal jury in early June. Court records indicate her attorneys plan to claim the deadly shooting was self-defense.

Last year, we told you Perkins rejected a plea deal that could have spared her life in prison if she were to be found guilty on a first-degree murder charge.

The deal offered 27 to 31 years behind bars, meaning she would be in her 60s when she completed her sentence.