Chelsea Perkins, serving 22½ years, is disputing a six-figure calculation for the father of two killed in 2021.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A convicted killer is fighting how much she must repay the family of Matthew Dunmire, the 31-year-old father shot and left to die in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in 2021, after a federal judge ordered restitution during a closed-door proceeding this week.
The dispute centers on how to measure Dunmire’s lost income and related costs under federal restitution rules. Chelsea Perkins, a 35-year-old military veteran who pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-degree murder and a gun charge, is serving 22½ years in federal prison. Prosecutors asked the court to include future wages, funeral bills and the family’s travel expenses for hearings. Perkins objected to the government’s figure for lost earnings, arguing the calculation is too high and should be reduced by typical living costs. The judge’s final order was not immediately announced, leaving both sides waiting for clarity on the amount and payment plan.
In filings reviewed by 19 News, prosecutors said Perkins should not escape paying into Dunmire’s estate by downplaying his income from full-time work. The government’s submission listed more than $596,000 for lost earnings alone, on top of burial and travel costs. Perkins, described in earlier court records as a mother, Coast Guard veteran and adult performer, told investigators her actions were driven by trauma from prior assaults, an account she raised again at sentencing. “If you have ever met him … you couldn’t even think this kid could harm a flea,” said Dan Dunmire, the victim’s uncle, in an earlier interview. The hearing on restitution took place behind closed doors, and neither the U.S. Attorney’s Office nor the Federal Public Defender released an outcome by late Wednesday.
Perkins traveled from Virginia to Northeast Ohio in March 2021. Investigators determined she and Dunmire spent the night at an Airbnb in Cleveland before she shot him once in the head and abandoned him near a cemetery in Valley View inside the national park. She later pleaded guilty in federal court in May, acknowledging second-degree murder on federal land and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. In September, U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. sentenced her to 270 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. The case fell to federal authorities because the killing happened on national park property, giving jurisdiction to the U.S. government and the FBI.
Under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act, judges in violent-crime cases must order restitution to identifiable victims for direct losses, including lost income and funeral costs. The Financial Litigation Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office is tasked with collecting, though officials acknowledge many orders go unpaid in full because defendants have limited assets or income while incarcerated. In this case, filings show Perkins challenged the government’s math on Dunmire’s projected wages and argued the court must subtract ordinary personal expenses before awarding a total to his estate. Prosecutors countered that any reduction would amount to a windfall for the defendant and would shortchange the two minor children expected to inherit from the estate.
The criminal case drew attention for its stark timeline and conflicting narratives. Perkins had accused Dunmire years earlier of rape; no charges were filed. Prosecutors characterized the shooting as a planned “revenge killing,” citing travel records, messages and the secluded drop-off point near the park cemetery. Defense filings emphasized Perkins’ post-traumatic stress and sought consideration for her service history. At sentencing, the court adopted the plea agreement’s framework and left restitution open for later determination, a common step when detailed loss documentation is still being compiled by families and insurers.
With the prison term set, the unresolved issue is how much the court will require Perkins to pay, and on what schedule. Judges can set payment plans tied to earnings in custody and after release. If the court enters a final figure for lost income, funeral expenses and travel, the order will follow Perkins to prison and beyond. Any collected money would flow first to the estate to cover approved losses, then to surviving beneficiaries. Attorneys for both sides did not provide updates Wednesday on whether the judge had taken the matter under advisement or planned to issue a written ruling.
Outside the courthouse, the family’s grief is still sharp nearly five years after Dunmire’s death. Friends recall him as a devoted father and aspiring musician who balanced work with time for his children. “We want his memory to be about who he was, not how he died,” a relative said earlier this year. The park where his body was found, known for shaded trails and steep ravines, has become a place of uneasy remembrance for those who knew him. The legal wrangling over dollars and formulas, they say, cannot account for the laughter and milestones the children lost.
As of late Wednesday, no final restitution total had been announced. A written order is expected to outline what Perkins owes and how payments will be made in the months ahead.
Author note: Last updated December 4, 2025.