Eminem’s stalker was found guilty of first-degree home invasion and aggravated stalking after breaking into the rapper’s home outside of Detroit for a second time last summer, The Detroit News reports.
Matthew David Hughes, 32, was convicted earlier this week after a short trial that began Tuesday (May 6) and ended the following day. Eminem testified during the trial, as did his security chief, and the jury returned the guilty verdict after about 90 minutes of deliberation. Hughes will be sentenced June 17.
Hughes has a history of stalking Eminem, going back to 2019 when he broke into one of the rapper’s former homes looking for him. He was ultimately convicted of breaking and entering and sentenced to 90 days in prison.
The following year, Hughes successfully broke into Eminem’s actual home, with the rapper claiming that he woke up to find Hughes in his bedroom and that Hughes threatened to kill him. Hughes pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years probation, though a violation in an unrelated assault landed him back in prison. He was released on parole in May 2024.
Prosecutor Seven Fox said that, like the 2020 incident, Eminem was sleeping when Hughes broke into his property early one morning last August. This time, however, Hughes did not make it to the rapper’s bedroom. Fox said that Eminem has taken to sleeping in a padlocked room in a secluded part of his home because of the past incidents with Hughes.
“Marshall Mathers has taken extraordinary steps to protect himself and his family,” Fox said. “Security 24/7. And each time that step has had to increase, but only as the result of one person’s actions, Matthew Hughes. The world becomes smaller. He’s on an island.”
According to authorities, Eminem’s security team spotted Hughes near Eminem’s home at about 7 a.m. on Aug. 26, 2024. Hughes had apparently entered the property through an unlocked door and fled with a stolen bike, likely after realizing he’d been spotted. He was apprehended a few days later after one of Eminem’s employees saw him while shopping at a Walmart. Police believe Hughes was homeless at the time and living in the woods nearby.
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Hughes had pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His public defender called the case circumstantial, saying there was no direct evidence linking Hughes to the break-in, including a lack of potential DNA or fingerprints from the door he allegedly used to break into the home.
A representative for Eminem did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
