FT WAYNE, Ind.–A jury in Ft. Wayne will decide whether a man is guilty of killing a man and cutting off his head and limbs with a machete. Matthew Cramer’s defense is that he was the victim of coerced sex by Shane Nguyen, 55, and that it was not murder.
Before beginning deliberations Tuesday, the jurors saw a video of the dismemberment from April 23, 2021, that had some relatives of Nguyen leaving court crying. It was an explicit video that showed Cramer, 22, using a hacksaw and a machete to decapitate and dismember the corpse after killing Nguyen. It took 43 blows with a machete to decapitate Nguyen.
Testimony was that Cramer “exploded” on Nguyen when Nguyen during a sexual encounter, suggested he bring his two nieces, 10 and 13, on their next encounter.
The homeless and jobless Cramer then choked Nquyen, a food truck operator, and may have bashed his head on the concrete floor of the storage unit where the encounter took place, then drove to Elkhart to buy a shovel, the saw and machete.
Evidence presented besides the video, included video surveillance of Cramer buying the supplies.
The jury is expected to deliberate again Wednesday. They were sequestered Tuesday night.
