A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to more than three decades in prison for a violent crime spree that ended in a deadly high-speed police chase through central Minnesota.
On Monday, a judge ordered 27-year-old Ameer Matariyeh to serve 306 months for second-degree murder and 153 months for attempted second-degree murder, with the sentences to run consecutively. Matariyeh entered a Norgaard plea in August, acknowledging he committed the crimes but claiming he could not recall the events. Additional charges of first-degree assault and fleeing police were dismissed as part of the sentencing.
The convictions stem from an October 22, 2024 incident that began in Minneapolis, when police responded to a domestic violence call at an apartment near Lyndale Avenue South and West 29th Street. According to investigators, Matariyeh opened fire from a balcony at his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend, though neither was injured. By the time officers entered the apartment, Matariyeh had fled.
Crisis negotiators later reached him by phone and learned he was driving west of the city in a stolen Chevy Malibu. Around 1:53 p.m., Kandiyohi County deputies located the vehicle on Highway 7. Shortly afterward, a homeowner in Lake Lillian called 911, reporting that her husband had been shot outside their residence. The victim returned inside and told his wife to retrieve his gun before collapsing.
Matariyeh then fled again, reaching speeds of up to 130 mph. Investigators say he told Minneapolis police negotiators he planned to “attempt suicide by cop.”
At around 2:25 p.m., OnStar remotely disabled the stolen vehicle. Matariyeh exited and approached a passing green pickup truck, shooting and killing the driver, 55-year-old Jerome Skluzacek of New London, Minnesota.
Deputies confronted Matariyeh moments later. He ran toward the highway median, then returned to the roadway and surrendered with his hands raised. He was taken into custody without further incident.
While sitting in the squad car, Matariyeh reportedly told officers he was “throwing his life away” because he had been cheated on.
In addition to the convictions handed down Monday, Matariyeh still faces multiple assault charges in Hennepin County related to the earlier domestic violence standoff in Minneapolis.
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