Arroyo Grande man who stabbed, poured boiling oil on ex-foster mom faces life in prison
An Arroyo Grande man accused of pouring boiling oil on his former foster mother and stabbing her in the back with a kitchen knife is facing eight years in prison after changing his plea Wednesday.
Matthew Leroy Ehens, 38, pleaded no contest in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Wednesday to charges of torture and elder abuse against the 79-year-old victim, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Ehens had faced additional charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, evading an officer and aggravated mayhem, according to court records.
According to the release, Ehens engaged in an argument with his former foster mom at their home in Arroyo Grande on Aug. 2, 2019.
During the incident, Ehens poured a pot of boiling peanut oil on the woman’s upper body and face, then stabbed her in the back with a kitchen knife before fleeing in his car, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Ehens got into a high-speed chase with police and crashed his vehicle before being arrested, according to the release.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, the victim suffered serious burn injuries over 17% of her body and received extensive medical treatment, including hospitalization for a month and a skin grafting operation.
“The victim is a courageous survivor of a horrible crime inflicted on her (by) a person whom she raised,” county District Attorney Dan Dow wrote in the release. “Our community will not tolerate elder abuse. I encourage those who suffer from or witness elder abuse to report these crimes to law enforcement.”
Ehens is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 20 to eight years to life in prison.
His listed defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Wednesday.
