Man Accused of Murdering Wife Dressed Up as Serial Killer

Documents allege Matthew Phelps posed as 'American Psycho' killer on Instagram
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 3, 2018 9:49 AM CDT
Man Accused of Killing Wife Had Dark Instagram Account
Matthew Phelps.   (Raleigh Police Department)

The Sept. 1 killing grabbed national headlines in part because of Matthew Phelps' unusual defense: The 29-year-old told a 911 dispatcher he thought he had stabbed to death his wife of less than a year in his sleep after taking more cough and cold medication than he should have. Now, some unseemly allegations are emerging about Phelps by way of newly unsealed applications for search warrants, reports WRAL. The most-picked-up detail involves Phelps' alleged penchant for serial-killer movie American Psycho; a Raleigh, NC, detective wrote that Phelps had a separate Instagram account under the username marty_radical that often focused on the film, per the News & Observer. "This Instagram account shows numerous photographs of scenes from the movie and Phelps dressed as the main character," the detective noted.

"The movie is about a serial killer, and Phelps expressed interest to a friend regarding what it would be like to kill someone," the detective continued. The application also contains claims from Lauren Phelps' family: that on the night of her death she'd been calling and texting her husband, displeased that he was out late, and that Matthew's spending was a problem and in excess of the couple's income; they say Lauren had taken "drastic steps" to rein it in. The application notes "interviews suggest ... the victim was preparing to end the relationship." Detectives also wrote they believed Phelps, who has been charged with first-degree murder, had cleaned himself somewhat before calling 911. The search warrants were ultimately used to seize phones, two books, notes, and a diary, among other items.
(More murder stories.)

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