Matthew David Hughes found guilty after breaking into rapper’s Detroit home, following 2020 incident in which he allegedly threatened to kill him and 2019 break-in
A stalker who broke into Eminem’s home in Michigan for a second time has been convicted of first-degree home invasion and aggravated stalking.
Matthew David Hughes was arrested in August 2024 after being seen at the rapper’s home in Clinton Township, a suburb in north-eastern Detroit. He didn’t meet bail conditions and has been jailed since his arrest.
Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, testified at the court hearing on Wednesday. A jury found Hughes guilty of both charges. He will be sentenced on 17 June.
The 32-year-old had previously been charged with home invasion in 2020, when he entered Eminem’s Clinton Township property while the rapper was at home. Eminem said that he woke up to find Hughes standing behind him; a police officer recounted that Eminem “was told by Mr Hughes that he was there to kill him”.
Following a plea deal, Hughes avoided prison and was sentenced to five years’ probation in September 2021. But he violated the terms of probation with an unrelated assault later that year and was sentenced to a prison term. He was released on parole in May 2024.
In 2019, Hughes broke into one of Eminem’s former homes in the Rochester Hills area of Detroit. He initially spoke with the new homeowner, telling them he was “looking for his brother Marshall”, then later broke into a guest house on the property. He served a 90-day prison term after being convicted of breaking and entering.
The case has resonances with one of Eminem’s most successful and celebrated songs, Stan, about an obsessive fan who sends the rapper a series of increasingly disturbing messages.
It’s also the second stalking case involving a celebrity to have reached court this week.
Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, 48, was charged with stalking, vandalism and threat of bodily harm after allegedly crashing his car through the front gate of actor Jennifer Aniston’s Los Angeles home on Monday.
Carwyle is also accused of harassing Aniston for two years with messages over voicemail, email and social media.
He appeared shirtless and wrapped in a blanket at a court hearing on Thursday. A lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. Judge Keith L Schwartz said Carwyle must have a mental health assessment to determine if he can face the charges. Carwyle was ordered not to have any contact with Aniston.
Aniston and her legal team have not commented on the charges.
