Man accused of killing Charlotte bride-to-be will return to face charges

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The man charged with killing a Charlotte college counselor and setting her apartment on fire could be back to face charges within several days.

Mathew Benner, 27, told a judge in Nye County, Nevada, Tuesday morning that he is ready to come back to Charlotte to face the charges that he killed Amanda Strous, 28, and set her apartment on fire.

Benner appeared calm as he answered questions from a judge during a brief court appearance.

Deputies arrested Benner Monday morning after detectives from Charlotte tracked his cellphone to the small city west of Las Vegas and notified the sheriff’s office there.

Eyewitness News learned that Benner had worked providing technical support for air traffic control simulators at Charlotte Douglas Airport. The facility is inside the control tower at the airport but the Federal Aviation Administration says Benner was never actually a controller.

Benner lived in an apartment directly above Strous and police sources said they believe he may have been stalking her. They said police found some of her personal belongings in Benner’s apartment, along with a diary he had kept, which contains some troubling entries.

Tony Scheer, a Charlotte defense attorney, says he expects Benner’s attorney to have him undergo testing.

“If it's that totally out of character, something as serious as a homicide, a psychological evaluation is going to be quite common,” Scheer said.

Even though deputies in Nevada said Benner confessed to the murder, Scheer said prosecutors will have their work to do.

“There are all kinds of defenses that don't amount to an absolute defense. There's no such thing as an open-and-shut case,” Scheer said.

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Cox Media Group