College professor arrested for murder of pregnant mistress who refused abortion

A college professor in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, has been arrested and charged with the murder of his pregnant mistress, who had refused to have an abortion.

Key Takeaways:

• 38-year-old Matthew Sierra allegedly murdered 27-year-old Alexis Pickett and her preborn child after she refused to have an abortion. He is being held on a $1 million bond.

• They already had one child together, and Sierra allegedly did not want another.

• Sierra allegedly set the house on fire in an attempt to cover his tracks.

The Details:

LaCrosse police announced the arrest of Matthew Sierra this week, following an investigation into the residential fire in which Pickett's body was found. He has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree intentional homicide of an unborn child, arson, and mistreatment of animals causing death. Sierra was a Mechanical Design instructor at Western Technical College and has been placed on administrative leave.

On November 13, Pickett's apartment was discovered on fire, and surveillance footage caught Sierra leaving the residence as fire alarms could be heard going off. After the fire department responded to the blaze, authorities discovered Pickett's body.

An autopsy found there to be no soot or carbon monoxide in Pickett's lungs, indicating she had died before the fire started.

Zoom In:

According to the criminal complaint, Sierra and Pickett had an on-and-off again relationship and had a two-year-old child together. When Pickett got pregnant for the second time, Sierra wanted her to have an abortion, which she refused.

"All I know is that they have been on and off and they have been constantly fighting because he found out she was pregnant with his kid and he didn’t want anything to do with it," a witness told police. The witness added that Sierra "freaked out" and threatened Pickett if she refused to get an abortion, saying he would get custody of their born child in retaliation if she didn't.

Study: Pregnant women more likely to die by homicide than by maternal illness

Sierra was married to another woman, yet he claimed his wife knew about his relationship with Pickett and the pregnancy. However, police interviews with his wife indicated otherwise. When his wife was asked about whether Sierra could have a pregnant mistress, she responded, "God, I hope not, why is this happening to me?"

Pickett's official cause of death is not yet known, but Sierra is in jail and being held on a $1 million bond.

The Bottom Line:

Homicide is a leading cause of death among pregnant women in the United States, higher even than all leading maternal causes. These homicides are often linked to domestic violence, including situations like Pickett's, in which the woman has refused to have an abortion.