ST. PAUL, Minn. — The suspicious death of a Minnesota nurse who died of a gunshot wound in her St. Paul apartment in 2022 is at the center of a “48 Hours” episode, available now on Paramount+.
St. Paul police responded to Alexandra Pennig’s apartment on December 16, 2022 after a frantic 911 call was placed by Matthew Ecker, 45, a then-Fergus Falls resident.
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The investigation that followed, however, painted a different picture — and led to Ecker’s conviction for 32-year-old Pennig’s murder.
On April 3, 2024, a jury found Ecker guilty of second-degree intentional murder. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The road to justice wasn’t cut-and-dry, though, and Ecker’s siblings and parents still believe he was wrongly convicted.
The “48 Hours” episode details the relationship Ecker and Pennig shared, which began as coworkers at a Fergus Falls medical clinic. Ecker was a nurse practitioner, and Pennig was a licensed practical nurse.
At the time of Pennig’s death, she and Ecker had been involved in a two-year long affair. Ecker lived with his wife and children in Fergus Falls, and traveled to St. Paul to see Pennig.
He said he went to St. Paul that night after Pennig told him she was in danger, according to the 48 Hours episode.
That was why he had a gun on him, he said.
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That gun was used to fatally shoot Pennig in her apartment bathroom. The question over who fired the weapon is at the center of the 48 Hours episode.
“The Strange Shooting of Alex Pennig” is available to stream on Paramount+.
The Trust Project
