A man in Pennsylvania has been sentenced for the murder of his wife, whose body was found by her 11-year-old daughter, after facing a series of blistering victim impact statements from her other daughters, admitting to them, “I overlooked things.”
The body of Jami Harrison, 49, was found on February 5, 2024 by her 11-year-old daughter. She was discovered laying in her bed with red marks on her neck and possible bruising on her forehead, according to Fox 43.
At his sentencing, after he pled guilty to first-degree murder and strangulation as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, Judge Jeffrey Conrad told Matthew Harrison, 49, that he “had a duty to love, honor, and protect.”
Instead, he “acted with malice and hatred and committed ‘one of the most cowardly acts a man can do’ by killing a woman.” He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 5-10 years.
The pre-teen who found her mother’s body had previously told police that Matthew was “really mean” and often hurt his wife. The autopsy revealed not only asphyxiation as a cause of death, but also signs of sexual assault.
Another of Jami’s daughters spoke out in court ahead of Matthew’s sentencing, calling him “a coward” before reading her victim impact statement, per Fox 43. In her statement, she said that she and her sisters had been hopeful that he could be a father figure over the past seven years. Instead, he turned out “not the best example of a man,” frequently abusive toward their mother.
“We trusted you to protect us. You have daughters of your own,” she continued, per Lancaster Online. She also said that he gave no consideration when carrying out the “clearly” planned attack what that loss would do to her family, and particularly in the case of her 11-year-old daughter, who found the body. Another daughter who presented the court with a victim statement called Jami “our only true parent, saying that Matthew “stole that from us” when he killed her.
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Also speaking in the courtroom was Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick, who read aloud a list of what Fox 43 described as “vulgar and degrading text messages” sent by Matthew to his wife in the days before she was murdered.
“He tells her how much he hates her and how she is the worst person alive,” Haverstick said, per Lancaster Online. There were additional messages sent to other family members and co-workers that allegedly indicated he had intentions of murdering his wife, and later reporting that he had killed her.
Haverstick also spoke about Matthew’s own statements to law enforcement after his arrest, including that he allegedly told them he believed his wife wanted him to kill her “so she could stop being a whore.” He added, per Haverstick, that he believed he’d “set her free” by killing her.
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When asked by Judge Conrad to explain his actions, Matthew said there was “no reason for me to stand here and elaborate,” as he’d already entered a guilty plea. He did, though, later take an opportunity to speak.
“There’s nothing I can say that would change anything,” he said, per Lancaster Online. “But, I mean, I’m sorry for this and I do wish that I wouldn’t have gotten any type of mindset to allow myself to do this.”
“The girls are right. I overlooked things,” he added, referring to the impact of his actions and the loss of Jami’s life on her children, as well as his own children and grandchildren. He added that he has a hole in his heart, saying, “I do love my wife. I think about her everyday. I regret everything.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages; Calls are confidential and toll-free.
