09-23-2010, 08:55 PM
and kept them in plastic bags for days.
Mother, 2 sons murdered in Manchester, Boyfriend charged Sept. 23, 2010
Army recruiter charged with murdering young mother, sons
MANCHESTER, Tenn. – An Army recruiter has admitted to killing his girlfriend and her two children after their bodies were found in their Coffee County home Wednesday night.
Twenty-six-year-old Stephanie Hershman and her sons, three-year-old Jathan and one-year-old Jaylon, were found dead inside the family's home on Liberty Court off Skinner Flat Road in Manchester at about 8:30 p.m.
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Perkins, who investigators said had been dating Hershman for a few months, is behind bars in Franklin County, charged with three counts of first degree murder.
In a media briefing Thursday morning, Coffee County authorities said each body was found individually wrapped in white, kitchen trash bags inside a closet in the home.
"They were individually bagged and we did not open any bags, they were carried to the medical examiners office in Nashville," Manchester Police Chief Ross Simmons said.
Authorities declined to say how the victims died, but said there was blood both outside and inside the home and called the slayings "calculated."
Perkins, 30, confessed to the murders Wednesday night, just a few hours after he was taken into custody at the Jameson Inn in Tullahoma.
Police spotted his motorcycle in the motel's parking lot and found Perkins hiding in one of the guest rooms.
Investigators said Perkins has showed no remorse and were unclear on his motive.
"We have interviewed him and he has told us a lot, but right now we're going to let the investigation continue," said Ray Stewart, an investigator with the Manchester Police Department. "There's still a lot left to do."
Investigators believe Hershman and her children died sometime on Sunday, a full three days before their bodies were discovered.
"We're looking at Sunday, sometime Sunday, probably late Sunday afternoon or Sunday night from witnesses placing them at the house alive," Stewart said.
Police said they went to the Liberty Court home on Wednesday after the children's grandfather reported he hadn't seen the family in several days.
Authorities said the crime is Manchester's first-triple homicide.
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Perkins is an Army recruiter in Tullahoma and served in the U.S. Army.
Police identified him as a suspect after receiving reports he made suspicious comments to multiple people in the town. They did not elaborate on what was said.
Perkins enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in February of 2000.
He has been deployed overseas twice, once to Afghanistan for 12 months from April 2004 to April 2005 and once to Iraq for 14 months from August 2006 to October 2007.
He became an Army recruiter in July 2008 and has since worked at the recruiting station in Tullahoma.
Investigators declined to release any further information about his deployments or medical treatments he may have received in the years since.
Perkins was booked into the Franklin County jail, where he remains Thursday. His bond was set at $6 million, $2 million for each victim.
He was arrested in Coffee County but transferred to Franklin County where there are isolation rooms. Investigators said the transfer is for his own safety.
Perkins is legally married although investigators believe he and his wife are estranged. The couple has two young children together.
Perkins is scheduled to appear in court next Tuesday, September 28.
The children's biological father, Jeremy Hershman, was behind bars in Coffee County on meth charges at the time of the murders.
Authorities said he was released from jail on furlough Thursday.
The victim's bodies were sent to the medical examiner's office in Nashville, where autopsies will be performed.
Mother, 2 sons murdered in Manchester, Boyfriend charged Sept. 23, 2010
Army recruiter charged with murdering young mother, sons
MANCHESTER, Tenn. – An Army recruiter has admitted to killing his girlfriend and her two children after their bodies were found in their Coffee County home Wednesday night.
Twenty-six-year-old Stephanie Hershman and her sons, three-year-old Jathan and one-year-old Jaylon, were found dead inside the family's home on Liberty Court off Skinner Flat Road in Manchester at about 8:30 p.m.
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Perkins, who investigators said had been dating Hershman for a few months, is behind bars in Franklin County, charged with three counts of first degree murder.
In a media briefing Thursday morning, Coffee County authorities said each body was found individually wrapped in white, kitchen trash bags inside a closet in the home.
"They were individually bagged and we did not open any bags, they were carried to the medical examiners office in Nashville," Manchester Police Chief Ross Simmons said.
Authorities declined to say how the victims died, but said there was blood both outside and inside the home and called the slayings "calculated."
Perkins, 30, confessed to the murders Wednesday night, just a few hours after he was taken into custody at the Jameson Inn in Tullahoma.
Police spotted his motorcycle in the motel's parking lot and found Perkins hiding in one of the guest rooms.
Investigators said Perkins has showed no remorse and were unclear on his motive.
"We have interviewed him and he has told us a lot, but right now we're going to let the investigation continue," said Ray Stewart, an investigator with the Manchester Police Department. "There's still a lot left to do."
Investigators believe Hershman and her children died sometime on Sunday, a full three days before their bodies were discovered.
"We're looking at Sunday, sometime Sunday, probably late Sunday afternoon or Sunday night from witnesses placing them at the house alive," Stewart said.
Police said they went to the Liberty Court home on Wednesday after the children's grandfather reported he hadn't seen the family in several days.
Authorities said the crime is Manchester's first-triple homicide.
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Perkins is an Army recruiter in Tullahoma and served in the U.S. Army.
Police identified him as a suspect after receiving reports he made suspicious comments to multiple people in the town. They did not elaborate on what was said.
Perkins enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in February of 2000.
He has been deployed overseas twice, once to Afghanistan for 12 months from April 2004 to April 2005 and once to Iraq for 14 months from August 2006 to October 2007.
He became an Army recruiter in July 2008 and has since worked at the recruiting station in Tullahoma.
Investigators declined to release any further information about his deployments or medical treatments he may have received in the years since.
Perkins was booked into the Franklin County jail, where he remains Thursday. His bond was set at $6 million, $2 million for each victim.
He was arrested in Coffee County but transferred to Franklin County where there are isolation rooms. Investigators said the transfer is for his own safety.
Perkins is legally married although investigators believe he and his wife are estranged. The couple has two young children together.
Perkins is scheduled to appear in court next Tuesday, September 28.
The children's biological father, Jeremy Hershman, was behind bars in Coffee County on meth charges at the time of the murders.
Authorities said he was released from jail on furlough Thursday.
The victim's bodies were sent to the medical examiner's office in Nashville, where autopsies will be performed.