St. Ignatius man pleads guilty to assaulting girlfriend

A St. Ignatius man accused of the brutal assault of his girlfriend earlier this year pleaded guilty to the offense recently in Lake County District Court.

According to court documents, Matthew Phillip Parker, 31, pleaded guilty to one felony count of assault with a weapon June 11. In exchange for his plea, the Lake County Attorney’s Office dropped charges of strangulation of a partner, witness tampering, rape and partner assault.

Both the state and the defendant agreed to a 20-year sentence in the Montana State Prison. Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher set a sentencing date of Thursday, July 30.

Charging documents indicate Parker and his girlfriend argued Feb. 23. He was allegedly drunk and accused her of cheating on him. He punched her in the ribs and the jaw several times, causing her to lose consciousness. When she woke up, Parker struck her with a baseball bat before choking her, which caused her to lose consciousness again.

Parker also told the victim if she screamed he would kill her 1-year-old daughter who was in a playpen nearby. The victim required four staples in the back of her head due to being struck. She also suffered a broken nose, bruises all over her body and her eyes were swollen shut.

Parker left the residence before returning later in the day. He had his brother take her to the hospital where she initially said three other women had assaulted her. Later, she said Parker had assaulted her.

An additional court filing showed Parker assaulted and raped the woman after she was released from the hospital.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com