May 27, 2025, Press Release from U.S. Attorney for Northern Ohio District
CLEVELAND – An Alexandria, Virginia woman has pleaded guilty to driving more than 300 miles across state lines after she arranged to meet a victim, whom she shot and killed at a national park in Northeast Ohio.
According to court documents, Chelsea Perkins, 35, traveled to Ohio to meet the victim, Matthew Dunmire, whom she knew previously. On March 6, 2021, they visited the Terra Vista Natural Study Area, a hiking trail located in Valley View, Ohio, within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. While hiking off-trail into a wooded area of the park, Perkins used a loaded firearm she brought with her to shoot the victim in the back of the head, killing him.
Criminal investigators found evidence linking Perkins to the shooting through GPS data, DNA, social media, phone records, and ballistics analysis. During a federal search warrant execution at her Virginia residence, federal agents found three 9mm pistols, including one recovered from a woman’s purse that also contained Perkins’ identification.
On May 27, 2025, Chelsea Perkins pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree and using or carrying and discharging a firearm during, and in relation to, a crime of violence on federal property. If the Court accepts the plea agreement at sentencing, Perkins faces between 20 and 25 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine her sentence after considering the plea agreement, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other statutory factors. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 9, 2025.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, National Park Service Investigative Branch, Valley View Police Department, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Scott Zarzycki, Margaret A. Kane, and Adam J. Joines for the Northern District of Ohio.
About the Northern District of Ohio
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio covers the 40 northern-most counties in the state of Ohio, which is home to nearly six million people. The office operates from its main headquarters in Cleveland, with additional branches in Akron, Toledo, and Youngstown. The U.S. Attorney serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer in the District and oversees the prosecution of federal crimes and protects victims’ rights.
