CLEVELAND, Ohio - Chelsea Perkins, a Coast Guard veteran who later became an actress in adult films pleaded guilty last week to charges of killing a man in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Here are four takeaways from Adam Ferrise’s story that detailed the slaying. The story ran on Sunday in cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.

1. Chelsea Perkins plotted revenge against Matthew Dunmire, whom she had accused of rape years earlier

In February 2021, Chelsea Perkins reconnected with Matthew Dunmire via Facebook, four years after she had accused him of rape in a case that Virginia prosecutors declined to pursue because of a lack of evidence.

Both Dunmire and Perkins were originally from Virginia. She had served in the Coast Guard and had an OnlyFans account. She used the name Selena Savage in her acting work.

After messaging that “He will get his some day,” Perkins methodically planned her revenge - accepting his friend request, booking an Airbnb, driving 350 miles to meet him in Cleveland and posting, “Dead men tell no tail (sic)” on Facebook, according to court records and authorities.

They spent the night at the Airbnb in University Circle, and they went for a walk in a remote area of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on March 6. During the walk, authorities said, she shot him in the back of the head with a 9 mm pistol, attempting to stage the scene as a suicide.

2. Perkins’ actions triggered a tragic chain of events affecting multiple lives

The murder created a devastating ripple effect. His mother, Tommie Lynn Dunmire, spiraled into grief, frustration and rage while waiting for an arrest, eventually attempting her own investigation.

She drove to Washington, D.C., and found a 30-year-old woman who she believed killed her son. She was wrong. She fired two shots into the abdomen of the victim, who survived the attack.

As she fled, police stopped her car. She died by suicide while police were questioning Matthew Dunmire’s father, John McQuillen, who drove her there. He was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for his role in the shooting.

3. Perkins had prepared a fake suicide note to cover up the murder

FBI investigators found evidence that Perkins had carefully planned to make Dunmire’s death appear to be a suicide.

When agents searched her phone, they discovered a pre-written note that prosecutors say was meant to be planted on Dunmire’s phone.

The note, written as if from Dunmire, included a false confession: “If you are reading this, it is too late. I’m sorry I beat you, and I raped a couple of chicks years ago. I am a shitty person and paid for my sins with blood. I’ve decided to leave this cruel world. Sorry I didn’t warn you first.”

After the murder, Perkins also deleted all Facebook messages between them and unfriended him on the platform.

4. Compelling forensic evidence led to Perkins’ arrest and guilty plea

The FBI built a strong case against Perkins using multiple forms of evidence. Investigators tracked her movements through traffic cameras, license plate readers, and GPS location data.

Forensic testing found Perkins’ DNA on Dunmire’s pubic hair and under his fingernail, as well as both individuals’ DNA on a water bottle found next to his body.

The ballistics from a gun found in Perkins’ backpack matched the bullet recovered from Dunmire’s head. Faced with this evidence, Perkins pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and using a gun in a violent crime, and she faces 20 to 25 years in prison at her September sentencing.

Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story.