DENVER — A man who killed his ex-wife and her friend in 2021 was sentenced Friday to 80 years in prison.
The Denver District Attorney's Office said Matthew Madden, 38, was sentenced to 40 years in the Department of Corrections for each of the victims.
Madden pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree homicide in April.
The above video aired on April 7
In September 2021, Denver Police officers found 33-year-old Katherine "Katy" Pivoda and her friend, 49-year-old Jennifer Gelvin, stabbed to death in the back yard of Pivoda's home on South Marion Street.
According to a probable cause statement, Madden was bloody and holding a knife when they found him. They tased him after he refused to drop the knife, and the document says he was taken to the hospital in critical condition for treatment of self-inflicted injuries suffered before his arrest including cuts on his neck, chest and arms.
The PC statement says neighbors reported hearing an argument from their homes and someone yelling "get out" repeatedly before the commotion stopped.
Two sleeping children were in the house at the time. They were not hurt.
“This senseless act of violence affected not one but two families and the community as a whole,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Effie Antonopoulos. “We believe that Jennifer was trying to help Katy when she was murdered by Matthew Madden.”
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