Matthew Beck said he stabbed his roommate after several disputes involving money and a Civil War-era coin collection.
Jessica Orozco | The Lima News
LIMA — A Lima man convicted of stabbing his roommate in July 2021 was sentenced to three years in prison Monday morning.
Matthew Beck, 41, is convicted of second-degree felonious assault on Bruce Tucker on July 31, 2021. The man said he stabbed the man after losing his temper.
Beck and Tucker lived together in a supportive housing program, and Beck said in a lengthy statement during the hearing that Tucker would often ask him for money and cigarettes. He said he bought him cigarettes because Tucker would smoke his if he did not.
Beck said he would give Tucker money as well, but became upset after hearing him brag about not having to pay bills and stealing several Civil War-era coins from Beck’s collection. He stabbed the man when he was angry, not thinking of the consequences.
Beck said he had reported Tucker for taking his money numerous times but nothing was done to stop him.
When asked by Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Reed if he intended to kill his roommate, Beck said no. He said he used a knife he carried for his work on a farm but does not know why he used it.
“I only got mad for a split second, but it was enough to do what I did,” Beck said.
Much of Beck’s statement contained obscure references and was quite jumbled, but he appeared to blame the incident on his mental illness. He said he does not believe he is capable of violence again.
Reed ordered Beck to receive treatment for his mental illness throughout his sentence, for which he will receive 486 days of jail time credit — more than a year. He will be added to the NCIC Mental Health database, which will notify police that he is a violent offender with a mental illness in case of any future offenses after his release.
Reed also ordered Beck to have no contact or communication with the victim.
