CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — A man pleaded guilty Monday to fatally stabbing his mother in their Castle Rock home in 2022.
Matthew Buchanan, 34, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and attempted aggravated cruelty to animals. Other charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Elizabeth Bjorlow, 59, was found dead at the home on Dove Valley Place in Castle Rock on April 26, 2022. Buchanan was arrested in Florida a week later.
From July 2022: Woman was fatally stabbed before fire set at Castle Rock home
According to an arrest affidavit, Buchanan fatally stabbed his mother, set a fire in their home, and then left. His uncle, who is paraplegic, was inside the home with no way to escape, the affidavit said. He was rescued by first responders.
Buchanan also left dogs inside the home while the fire was set, prosecutors said.
In a July 2021 application for a restraining order, Bjorlow wrote that Buchanan threatened to "take my house, my job and my dignity." She also said that Buchanan had threatened her and her husband and her other son who refused to stay in the home due to the threat.
Buchanan will be sentenced July 24.
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