Suncoast: Matthew Briganti was convicted after entering a plea to the charge of Murder In The Second Degree

The crime carries a maximum possible sentence of Life.

The Defendant entered the plea on March 15, 2024 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison on the same day.

This case involved the defendant murdering his 68-year-old father. At the time of the murder, the defendant was 49 years old and lived with his father. On July 31, 2021, the defendant called 911 stating that his father may have fallen. Fire and Rescue, EMS, and law enforcement arrived on scene and immediately determined that the victim was deceased and had been for many hours. It was also determined that the death occurred under suspicious circumstances as there was obvious trauma to the victim’s head. The defendant was interviewed by detectives and attempted to explain that his father must have fallen.

After a thorough autopsy, the medical examiner determined that the manner of death was Homicide caused by blunt impact head injuries. The medical examiner further opined that the victim was intentionally struck at least two times in the head with a heavy object.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office retained a blood spatter expert to analyze the scene and items collected from the scene. The blood spatter expert opined that the blood patterns found on specific items were evidence that the victim was struck at least two times in the head with an object.

Detectives located three video surveillance cameras that covered all entrances and exits to the victim’s residence. They discovered that the victim was last seen entering his residence at approximately 1:45 PM on July 30, 2021. Detectives reviewed footage from all three video surveillance cameras, from the time the victim was last seen to the time law enforcement arrived on scene which was approximately 30 hours, and found that the defendant was the only person who entered or left the residence.

The lead prosecutor in the case, Assistant State Attorney Charlie Lawrence commented, “This was a brutal murder that could only stem from evil and hatred. The defendant’s futile attempt to make his father’s murder appear as an accident served as further proof of his guilt. This crime could not have been solved for what it truly was without the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.”