Nebraska Supreme Court upholds man's conviction in Saunders County knife murder

LINCOLN, Nebraska (KLKN) – The Nebraska Supreme Court issued a ruling Friday upholding the conviction of a man who stabbed his fiancée to death in Saunders County in 2020.

Kolton Barnes raised eight arguments in his appeal, but the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that none of them were “substantial.”

On July 15, 2020, Kayla Matulka's body was found in the home she shared with Barnes in Malmo, a village about 40 miles north of Lincoln.

According to court documents, she was stabbed 27 times.

Barnes' dog was also found dead with numerous stab wounds.

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During the trial, prosecutors showed text messages from Matulka from the night of July 14 in which she told Barnes that she was breaking up with him.

They said Barnes then went to the house and killed her.

Barnes argued that he killed Matulka in self-defense after she killed the dog and attacked him.

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But the jury convicted Barnes of first-degree murder, first-degree cruelty to animals and several other charges.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and a longer term for the other charges.

Most of Barnes' arguments in his appeal revolved around the question of what evidence was and was not admitted at trial.

He said an ex-girlfriend's testimony that he had threatened to kill her was not relevant to the case.

However, the Supreme Court held that it was within the discretion of the lower court to accept the allegation because it revealed a motive.

According to court documents, the ex-girlfriend, like Matulka, said she had already broken up with Barnes before the threats.

Barnes also argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict him of premeditated murder because the state could not prove that he acted intentionally.

But the Supreme Court ruled that the number of stab wounds Matulka sustained, Barnes' lies to authorities, his destruction of evidence and his threat to kick down the door of her home could all be interpreted as signs of premeditation.