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Matthew Pugh, an ex-convict from Connecticut and former boyfriend of the late actress Alexandra Ducsay, was convicted of her murder nine years after she was found dead. The Law & Order actress was found beaten and stabbed to death in her basement apartment in Milford, Connecticut on May 9, 2006.
Pugh was linked to the murder as he used a rare kind of black vinyl tape found stuck to the victim's body and a crucial tip from someone close to him.
Pugh murdered Ducsay to get payback for the one time she reported him for harassment while he was in prison serving time on drug-related charges. Ducsay and Pugh stayed in touch via letters until those turned into harassment, which continued even after his release.
He was found guilty of murder and robbery charges and sentenced to 60 plus 20 years in prison in 2015.
According to reports, Matthew Pugh is currently serving time at the Cheshire Correctional Institution.
A Time to Kill on ID is set to chronicle Alexandra Ducsay's case in an upcoming episode titled Curtain Call, scheduled to air on Thursday, March 30, at 9 pm ET.
The synopsis reads:
"An enraged killer strikes down 26-year-old Alexandra Ducsay, an aspiring entertainer with a big heart and a blossoming career; slain inside her family's Connecticut home, her attacker uses her own dance trophy to bludgeon her to death."
Matthew Pugh was sentenced to 80 years after a murder and robbery-related conviction in ex-girlfriend's death
In March 2015, Matthew Pugh, a 42-year-old ex-convict and Connecticut drug dealer, was found guilty of brutally murdering his former girlfriend in 2006. His former girlfriend was an aspiring actress and award-winning dancer Alexandra Ducsay. Her acting career had gotten a boost from a role in the critically acclaimed legal drama, Law and Order.
A jury of nine women and three men deliberated for three days and listened to Pugh's own words on the witness stand before delivering the guilty verdict. He was convicted of murder and was later handed a 60-year prison sentence. He was also convicted of first-degree burglary, for which Judge Denise Markle gave him a 20-year term to serve concurrently with the murder sentence.
Matthew Pugh is now serving time at the high-security Cheshire Correctional Institution located in Cheshire, New Haven County, Connecticut.
Matthew Pugh took the stand at his own trial, claiming that he misled authorities during the investigation
During Matthew Pugh's high-profile trial, his defense attorney Paul Carty attempted to prove that the prosecution's case was entirely based on circumstantial evidence. This, according to the prosecution, linked the accused to the murder of his former girlfriend Alexandra Ducsay that took place in Milford.
When Pugh wanted to take the stand at his own trial, his defense attorney said that he advised his client not to. Defense attorney Carty said that it was rare for a defendant to testify in a murder trial. Carty said that Pugh "insisted" on telling his story and that it was his right.
The defense attorney added:
"But any time you expose yourself to cross-examination you are exposing yourself to fire. And he got burned."
The accused took the stand during his trial and revealed that he misled the police when he claimed he was not in Milford on the day of the murder. Pugh said that he was shopping at a Radio Shack, about a half-mile from Ducsay's apartment at the time he claimed to not have been in the city.
He testified that at first, he was reluctant to confess, thinking that the information might compromise his case.
Reports state that Matthew Pugh also admitted to sending Ducsay threatening letters after she dumped him while he was serving time in prison on drug-related charges. Additionally, one of his cousins testified during the trial that Pugh had told him he intended to kill Ducsay and cover up the murder.
In May 2006, Alexandra Ducsay was found bound, beaten, and stabbed to death in her basement in a bloody crime scene. An autopsy confirmed that she died of severe blunt force injuries to the head and one of her trophies that went missing the day of the murder was then determined to be the murder weapon. A kitchen knife, which was found next to her body, was used to stab the 26-year-old.
An all-new episode of ID's A Time to Kill premieres on Thursday, March 30, 2023, at 9 pm ET.
