Coast Guard Veteran Who Lured Ohio Man to Woods, Executed Him, and Then Got a Noose Tattoo Now Refuses to Pay Restitution to His Children
CLEVELAND, OHIO — A former U.S. Coast Guard veteran who lured a man she accused of raping her into the woods, executed him, and then drove to Michigan for a noose tattoo is now refusing to pay the restitution meant to support the victim’s fatherless children. Federal prosecutors say that without the payment, the family loses critical financial support tied to the victim’s lost lifetime earnings.
Chelsea Perkins, 35, was sentenced in September to 22½ years in federal prison for the murder of 31-year-old Matthew Dunmire at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Perkins pleaded guilty earlier this year, admitting she shot Dunmire in the back of the head.
Prosecutors say the restitution—nearly $600,000—is based on Dunmire’s income and projected earnings. Perkins’ attorneys argue the figure is inflated and fails to deduct basic living expenses. They say she is willing to pay funeral costs and travel expenses for sentencing, but refuses to compensate for decades of lost income.
Why Perkins Is Fighting the Restitution Order
Perkins’ legal team argues that federal prosecutors did not prove the true financial loss. They emphasized that the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act (MVRA) requires the government to show actual — not estimated — lost earnings.
They wrote in their filing:
“Courts require that the restitution amount represent the victim’s actual loss, not an estimate based on conjecture or speculation.”
Prosecutors pushed back, saying the figure is built from conservative and documented numbers. Dunmire worked full-time at a screen-printing and embroidery shop for $15 per hour, with his employer confirming his schedule and wages.
The government countered:
“The Court’s restitution order should reflect what [Dunmire] could have earned had his life not been cut short by Defendant’s choice to shoot him in the back of the head.”
A federal judge has not yet ruled on Perkins’ objection. WOIO reported that a closed-door hearing was held this week.
A Premeditated Killing Carried Out in the Woods
Investigators say Perkins lured Dunmire into meeting her after telling friends she planned to “make a stop first,” a message she sent to her tattoo artist in Detroit.
Per prosecutors, this was no crime of passion:
“It was a coldly, calculated intention to cause his death.”
Dunmire was last seen getting into a white car registered to Perkins’ husband. Surveillance cameras and license plate readers tracked Perkins’ movements to an Airbnb she rented using her credit card.
The next morning, Perkins drove Dunmire to the national park. Hikers reported hearing a single gunshot between 11:30 and 11:50 a.m. Others saw Perkins wandering the woods wearing knee-high boots — not hiking gear — and looking disoriented.
Inside the Terra Vista Natural Study Area, hikers discovered Dunmire’s body three days later. An Aquafina water bottle next to him carried Perkins’ DNA, as did multiple areas on the victim’s body.
The Tattoo Trip That Raised Investigators’ Eyebrows
Immediately after the killing, Perkins drove from Ohio to Michigan and kept her appointment with her tattoo artist.
She received a noose tattoo on her forearm.
Investigators noted that her actions showed no remorse. A fake suicide note was found on her phone, apparently written and then deleted in an attempt to mislead authorities.
Prosecutors pointed to this behavior at sentencing, saying:
“What I see here today is a lack of remorse.”
Perkins told the court she accepted full responsibility, yet the restitution fight indicates ongoing resistance to consequences.
Her Claim of Rape — and a Case Without Charges
Perkins claimed Dunmire raped her years earlier in Virginia. Police in Virginia Beach evaluated the allegation, but found insufficient evidence to bring charges.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that after her short service in the Coast Guard, Perkins had become an OnlyFans model under the name “Sabrina Savage.” Investigators say the allegation of rape, though never charged, became part of the motive she cited for planning the killing.
A Murder Case That Sparked a Vigilante Attack
In 2021, months after the killing and frustrated that Perkins had not yet been arrested, Dunmire’s parents attempted to take justice into their own hands.
His mother, Tommie Lynn Dunmire, dressed as a UPS driver and tried to confront Perkins in Washington, D.C. She knocked on the door of an apartment — but the woman who opened it was not Perkins.
Tommie shot her twice.
The victim survived. As officers closed in on the family’s vehicle, Tommie took her own life. Dunmire’s stepfather, John Nelson McQuillen, fled but was later arrested. He pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to assault with intent to kill and was sentenced to three years in prison.
The vigilante attack added another tragic chapter to an already devastating case.
A Family Now Left Without a Father
During sentencing, Dunmire’s father addressed the court and spoke about the impact on the victim’s children.
“My son was a good person, too, and now his children have no father.”
His obituary described him as a “free spirit who loved music, loved playing his guitar, and loved being with his friends.”
The restitution fight now stands between his children and financial stability, with the court expected to decide soon whether Perkins must help support the family of the man she killed.