Colorado art teacher used ‘selfie mode’ to film himself go on fatal Halloween stabbing spree, say cops

A Colorado art teacher filmed himself carrying out a fatal Halloween stabbing spree with a knife made from an animal antler, police say. 

Matthew Regnier, 33, a former teacher at Monument Academy, was arrested ‘fully naked, bloodied and holding a child’ on the 1400 block of El Paso Street just before midnight Friday evening, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Daily Mail.

The arrest came after authorities responded to a domestic dispute call and found one man and two women suffering from severe stab wounds, with Regnier allegedly clutching an unharmed two-year-old child. 

The male victim later died from stab wounds to the head and torso, according to police. The two women survived and are recovering.

Both victims’ names are redacted in the documents and their connection to Regnier remains unclear. 

Regnier repeatedly claimed the stabbing was in ‘self-defense,’ but authorities said video from his iPhone in ‘selfie mode’ showed him screaming about being choked while clearly able to ‘escape the strangulation,’ according to court documents. 

‘I have literally cried every day,’ Susan Reynolds, a local resident for 50 years, told KKTV News. ‘It is just so shocking, it’s hard to even fathom that this could take place.’ 

Regnier was booked into the El Paso County Jail on charges of murder, attempted murder and assault. He remains held without bail.

Matthew Regnier (pictured), 33, a former Colorado art teacher, was arrested ‘fully naked, bloodied and holding a child’ on Friday after he allegedly carried out a stabbing spree with a knife made from an animal antler

A video allegedly taken from Regnier’s iPhone showed him ‘repeatedly raising the large fixed blade knife (pictured) and plunging it in the direction of [the victim’s ] head and body’

Regnier, who worked at the charter school Monument Academy (pictured), repeatedly claimed the stabbing was in ‘self-defense,’ but authorities said video showed him screaming about being choked while clearly able to ‘escape the strangulation’

‘Everyone is just really devastated,’ Reynolds added. ‘How could this happen in our neighborhood, in this quiet little neighborhood? I just pray that nothing like this ever happens again.’

On Halloween night police said a woman called to report a domestic dispute. Just eight minutes later, Regnier allegedly phoned 911 ‘breathing hard’ and claiming he had been attacked. 

A police account recalls the dramatic moment that on arrival at the scene an officer was told by one of the victims that the suspect had a knife. 

The cops then saw Regnier inside, covered in blood, and immediately took him into custody.

According to the affidavit, he repeatedly described a ‘three-on-one’ assault, claiming he feared for his life. 

He allegedly told police that one victim tried to bite off his finger, another tried to strangle him and a third attempted to rip off his genitals. He claimed he grabbed a ‘buck knife’ from the closet in self-defense. 

Regnier described two of his ‘attackers’ as illegal immigrants and claimed he was attacked without provocation while changing the baby’s diaper, police said. 

However, one of the women allegedly told authorities the following day that Regnier had been keeping her and the other woman away from the child just moments before he unleashed on the violent rampage.

Regnier allegedly told police that one victim tried to bite off his finger, another tried to strangle him and a third attempted to rip off his genitals

Shocked neighbors (pictured) said that just hours before the fatal stabbing they saw Regnier outside handing out Halloween candy

During questioning Regnier admitted to police that he had no explanation for why the trio would attack him, according to the affidavit. 

Police viewed video allegedly recorded by Regnier on his cellphone, which showed him repeatedly shouting, ‘Leave me alone, she’s choking me,’ and ‘I can’t breathe,’ with the camera pointed mostly at himself. 

Court documents stated the video opened with Regnier fully naked in a bedroom corner, then, allegedly in ‘selfie mode,’ showed him screaming about being choked as a woman’s arm appeared around his neck. 

Authorities highlighted that in the video, Regnier repeatedly freed himself from the woman’s grip before retreating to the bedroom closet three minutes later, where the tone of the women’s screams reportedly shifted.

Officers noted that seconds later, the victims screamed as if being stabbed while blood splattered the white bedroom walls. They wrote that the child was ‘present, watching and crying’ throughout the attack. 

Court documents allege that Regnier began ‘screaming something about his testicles’ before continuing his stabbing spree. 

Police said the male victim then walked into the bedroom after hearing the women scream and was instantly attacked by Regnier. 

‘Women are heard screaming as Matthew is observed repeatedly raising the large fixed blade knife and plunging it in the directions of [the man’s] head and body,’ the affidavit states.

The former teacher (school pictured) claimed that he was attacked ‘unprovoked’ after changing the baby’s diaper. One of the women allegedly told authorities the following day that Regnier had been keeping her and the other woman away from the child

Authorities ultimately found the knife inside the home. They wrote that it appeared to be made from a deer or other game antler and matched the home’s other decor, which included ‘several animal skins and mounted skulls.’

Neighbors said that just hours before the fatal stabbing they saw Regnier outside handing out Halloween candy, according to KRDO13 News.

After his arrest, Regnier was fired from the charter school. According to Law & Crime, he had worked as both a teacher and a junior varsity soccer coach at Palmer Ridge High School.

Regnier’s first court appearance is scheduled for November 10.