Michigan Man Kills Girlfriend, Lives With Mutilated Remains For Seven Months

A Michigan man was charged last week for killing his girlfriend after the victim's sister spotted her sibling's mutilated remains in his apartment.

Matthew Gerard Lewinski, 37, was arraigned on July 30 in 41B District Court in Clinton Township on charges of first-degree murder, disinterment and mutilation of a dead body as well as concealing the death of an individual, Detroit News reported.

Lewinski is reportedly being held in the county jail without bond. He is set to appear for a probable cause hearing on Aug. 9, according to Michigan Live.

The man was arrested on July 28 after the victim's sister spotted the remains of his former girlfriend with whom he shared the apartment at the Crosswinds condominium complex, according to Detroit News. Lewinski told investigators that he strangled his girlfriend, Jerri Winters, to death during an argument.

Assistant Macomb Prosecutor Sian Hengeveld told the court that the body had large portions of skin removed from the back. Winters' sister spotted the remains on a tarp in the basement and called police, according to Macomb Daily. Further details surrounding the mutilation weren't released by the authorities.

"It’s a very gruesome case," Hengeveld said in court.

Lewinski's next-door neighbors, Karen and Jacqueline, told Macomb Daily that they noticed a foul smell coming from the apartment for the past several weeks. "I’ve smelled it for a while," Jacqueline said. "I would run from my car to here (her unit) like this (demonstrating holding her shirt over her)."

"A guy said maybe he needs to clean up his house. But I said that is not cleaning house, that is something dead," Jacqueline continued.

Hengeveld told the court that the pair had been dating for some time and Winters had moved in with him. Hengeveld said that Winters decided to move out of the house just a month later. After Winters left the house, Jacqueline said Lewinski told her "If the b** comes back, I won’t let her in." Another neighbor, Craig Mozdzen, told Macomb Daily that Lewinski and Winters argued a lot and that the latter wasn't an alcoholic. Lewinski doesn't have a legal representation yet, Macomb Daily reported, citing court records.