Matthew Buchanan pleads guilty to stabbing his mother to death in Colorado

Matthew Buchanan pleaded guilty on Monday to murdering his mother in 2022. Buchanan, 34, was the sole suspect in a suspicious death and house fire on April 26, 2022, when he was arrested in Monroe County, Florida a week after the crime. 

Police and firefighters were called to the home of Elizabeth Bjorlow near Dove Valley Place and Paint Pony Circle just after 2:30 p.m. on April 26. Crews were able to extinguish the fire. Bjorlow, 59, was found dead inside the home. Bjorlow was found on the kitchen floor with trauma to her face, head, and hands. Investigators noted that her clothes appeared to have been set on fire and were partially burned.  

A paraplegic man who could not get out of the burning home on his own was rescued by firefighters and rushed to the hospital. That man told investigators there was a verbal disturbance between Buchanan and his mother prior to the house fire. 

"It's despicable to learn a son would kill his own mother in a brutal act of violence," District Attorney John Kellner said in a statement. "This plea avoids a lengthy, gruesome, and emotional trial. I'm advocating for the maximum sentence under Colorado law to protect the community from this defendant." 

Records show that Bjorlow had previously filed for a restraining order against her son.

Buchanan pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, criminal attempt to commit murder in the first degree, and criminal attempt to commit aggravated cruelty to animals on Monday. A second-degree murder conviction carries a maximum sentence of 48 years in the Department of Corrections. Sentencing is scheduled for July 24.