Eddie Dante Propst, 37, of Hickory, will serve 26 to 32 years in prison following his conviction for second-degree murder on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, in Catawba County Superior Court.
The Honorable Matthew Osman, Superior Court Judge from Mecklenburg County, imposed terms of the active sentence after Propst pleaded guilty to the offense.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
Propst entered the guilty plea for the May 8, 2022, fatal beating of his girlfriend, Laura Matthews.
When officers from Hickory Police Department arrived at the residence shared by the defendant and victim, they found Propst there. He told them that Matthews was not breathing and prone to seizures. They located her deceased on the floor of a rear bedroom, battered and with her clothing askew.
Propst initially told officers that Matthews was fine when he left to go to a gas station, but she had been assaulted while he was gone and was non-responsive when he returned.
Investigation of the death by Hickory Police Department revealed that Propst made several incriminating statements during an interview and showed that he had a lengthy history of being the aggressor in domestic violence situations with the victim.
The defendant stated that he and Matthews had an argument, that he slapped her and made a motion with his hands as though he was choking someone. He also said he bit the victim.
According to medical reports, the cause of Matthews’ death was determined to be blunt force trauma.
Testing by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) also showed the defendant’s DNA on the victim’s clothing and body.
Video surveillance from a local shelter several days prior to the fatal beating showed Propst assaulting the victim, and people who knew the couple told investigators there was a violent history between them.
Darren Bailey and Cody Sutton investigated the case for Hickory Police Department. Assistant District Attorneys Howard Wellons and Drew Cochran prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Meredith Scott.