Eminem's stalker was convicted of a first-degree family invasion and aggravated the stalker after breaking into a rapper's house outside Detroit for the second time last summer. Detroit News Report.
Matthew David Hughes, 32, was convicted earlier this week after a brief trial that began on Tuesday (May 6) and ended the next day. Eminem testified during the trial, as did his security chief, and the jury after about 90 minutes of deliberation, convicted the verdict. Hughes will be sentenced on June 17.
Hughes has a history of following Eminem, dating back to 2019 when he broke into a former home of a rapper in search of him. Eventually, he was convicted of breaking into and sentenced to 90 days in prison.
The following year, Hughes successfully broke into Eminem's actual home, and the rapper claimed he was awake and found Hughes in his bedroom, whom Hughes threatened to kill him. Hughes pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years of probation, despite the illegal acts in an unrelated attack that brought him back to prison. He was released on parole in May 2024.
Prosecutor 7 Fox said that like the 2020 incident, Eminem was sleeping when Hughes broke into his property in the early hours of last August. However, Hughes did not arrive at the rapper's bedroom this time. Fox said Eminem had slept in a secluded part of his house, padlocked room due to Hughes's past events.
"Marshall Mathers took extraordinary steps to protect himself and his family," Fox said. "Safety 24/7. That step must be added every time, but it's just one person's action, Matthew Hughes. The world gets smaller. He's on an island."
According to authorities, Eminem's security team discovered Hughes near his home in Eminem at around 7 a.m. on August 26, 2024. Hughes had apparently entered the property through an unlocked door and fled with a stolen bicycle, most likely discovered after realizing he was found. He saw him while shopping at Walmart a few days later, and he was arrested a few days later. Police believe Hughes was homeless at the time and lived in the nearby woods.
Hughes pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His public defender called the case indirect, saying there was no direct evidence to link Hughes to the break-in, including the lack of potential DNA or fingerprints on the door he allegedly used to break into the home.
Eminem Representative did not return immediately Rolling stonesMake a request for comment.