Suspected killer of Michigan news anchor would visit his house four times a week

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Arthur Williamson, 55, has been charged with the murder of Jim Matthews after he assaulted him in his own home in Michigan

The man accused of murdering American newscaster Jim Matthews, 57, visited the victim’s girlfriend up to four times a week while the newscaster slept after his night shifts, neighbors say.

Arthur Williamson, 55, was charged with the murder of Matthews after allegedly beating him to death on Friday before stabbing Matthews’ girlfriend and injuring his son (10) and daughter (5).

Williamson, who was revived after the attacks with narcan after finding a heroin overdose in the basement of the house, has been slapped with seven charges, including first-degree murder, first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder and three counts of wrongful incarceration. He is currently being held without bond.

State records show that Williamson had a long criminal history going back 30 years with convictions on charges including kidnapping and assault.

While the relationship between Williamson and Matthews, who worked for WWJ NewsRadio 950, remains unclear, neighbors said the man has been known to visit the household up to four times a week while Matthews slept after returning from his night shifts.

News anchor Jim Matthews, 57, was killed at his home in Michigan, and his ‘on-off’ girlfriend Nichole Guertin was stabbed multiple times in the incident

According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Williamson has at least eight previous convictions, including kidnapping and assault with intent to commit murder.

The couple with two children, Hunter, 10, (left) and Rosie, 5 (right), were hospitalized after their father’s murder – Hunter is said to have tried to avoid attacking his father

Police discovered Williamson had overdosed on heroin and suffered self-inflicted wounds in the basement of the family home after the attack

Matthews, who also went by Nicolai, was reportedly found in a scene worse than ‘a horror movie’ by his brother Joe Nicolai

Chesterfield Township Police believe Williamson arrived at the house “somewhere in the middle of the night” on Friday before ambushing Matthews when he returned home around 6:30 a.m. Matthews died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido called it a “hammer attack” but said there were no signs of burglary and said Williamson was not an “unwanted guest.”

Matthews’ “on-off girlfriend” and mother of his children Nichole Guertin, 35, had managed to escape the premises despite being stabbed and gagged and tied up several times.

She fled with their five-year-old daughter Rosie, who was not seriously injured, and managed to flag down a car after it collapsed in a nearby parking lot.

Their son Hunter, 10, was beaten, hammered and tied up before being thrown into a closet after the incident.

He was rushed to hospital in critical condition and had to undergo brain and ear surgeries after bravely fighting his father’s killer.

A GoFundMe page confirmed that Hunter has had successful surgery on his neck and can now move both sides of his body.

“They’ve been through so much and I feel like the least I can do is create something that helps them adapt to what comes after this tragedy,” wrote the child aunt, Ashley Quigley.

Nicole is in stable condition but is being held for observation, Chesterfield Police Chief Brian Bassett said.

Police discovered that Williamson had overdosed on heroin and suffered from self-inflicted wounds in the basement of the family home.

The 55-year-old was resuscitated by officials before being rushed to hospital and then taken into police custody at the Macomb County Jail.

Pammy Healy, the children’s aunt, told DailyMail.com: “It’s someone Nicole knew. I know he knew Nicole pretty well.

“It’s really disturbing.” She said the family was in shock and trying to prepare for the children’s return home.

Their son Hunter was discovered by officers who had been put in a closet after he was hit with a hammer when he tried to pull his father’s attacker off him.

Relatives say the alleged killer was known to the family and knew Matthew’s girlfriend ‘very well’

Victim’s brother worries that his girlfriend, Nicole, in the photo, was manipulated by Williamson and called the woman “very naive”

Matthews, who also went through Nicolai, was reportedly found in a scene worse than “a horror movie” by his brother Joe Nicolai, who lives next door and “dropped everything” when he learned of the attack.

“It’s not even something you would see in a horror movie,” Nicolai told news channel WXYZ.

“Nicole, my brother’s girlfriend, was in the parking lot and had a duck tape and was bleeding, so my wife went out to hold her hand,” he said.

The victim’s brother is concerned that his girlfriend, Nicole, has been manipulated by Williamson, calling the woman “very naive and saying she wouldn’t hurt a fly, she always means well.”

The neighborhood was closed on Friday, as was the school across the street that Matthews’ children attend, Nicolai said.

“He loved taking care of his children, he loved being on the radio,” Nicolai said of his brother. ‘As a child he always played radio. He would DJ, that was his passion. he was a really great person.’

When questioned about the motive behind the attack, Nicolai said: ‘There is no motive, I don’t know why he was in the house. I talked to the lead investigator and my brother probably came home with this.’

Nicolai said Matthews’ son tried to fight his alleged killer before being beaten and tied up: “I believe Hunter the 10-year-old tried to fight this man who attacked and tried to kill his father.”

Sadly, he said, “Hunter has sustained many injuries to his face and head and may have scars.”

News anchor colleagues were forced to report on the death of the late journalist, who was the radio station’s nighttime news anchor for nearly seven years.

Journalist Jackie Page reported the breaking incident to thousands of listeners, saying: “It’s very difficult to report. Our late night newscaster Jim Matthews was murdered this afternoon in Chesterfield Township.’

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