Man Arrested After Turning Himself In To Police

Matthew Edward Lohoski

A Clearwater man who faces a first-degree murder charge in his mother’s killing used a variety of weapons in the crime – ranging from his own hands to a box cutter to a sledgehammer, according to police.

Matthew Edward Lohoski, 34, is in the Pinellas County Jail this morning, charged in the slaying of 59-year-old Deborah Susan Lohoski. She was found dead in her back yard Monday evening at 1709 El Trinidad Drive.

The suspect admitted to Clearwater Police homicide detectives that he confronted his mother from behind Monday evening and put her in a choke hold until she became unconscious. He left her outside the house, then went to check on his 7-year-old daughter whom he had placed in a bedroom before and turned on a video game for her.

When he returned to his mother, he found she was still breathing. It was then he used a pocket-style box cutter to cut her throat and her armpit area, where he was attempting to sever an artery. He then left her to check on his daughter again.

When Lohoski came back to his mother, he found her still alive. He found a plastic zip tie and attempted to choke the victim but the zip tie broke.

The suspect left his mother to check on his daughter again. He then went into a shed in the back yard and retrieved a sledgehammer. He used it to hit his mother in the head three times.

After the slaying, Lohoski dropped his daughter at a friend’s house before driving to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. That’s where he told a deputy he had just killed his mother. Sheriff’s deputies, in turn, called Clearwater Police to report the crime.

An autopsy is being conducted this morning on the victim.