The man accused of trashing former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s home and threatening to “take her down” is due back in court earlier than expected, after a judge granted Sinema’s request to accelerate his case.
Matthew Ammel will be arraigned Oct. 12, according to a legal filing. The court will hear oral arguments on a motion to modify his release conditions.
Through a lawyer, Sinema had asked Maricopa County Superior Court judge to move up Ammel’s court date and raise his bond after he allegedly contacted her through a bail bondsman to request that she post his $25,000 bond.
Judge Barbara Spencer agreed to speed up the proceeding. She moved Ammel’s next court appearance up by three days.
Ammel, 39, is Sinema’s ex-boyfriend and former bodyguard. The North
Carolina man is at the center of the “homewrecker” lawsuit that his ex-wife filed against Sinema, 50. The pair had a coast-to-coast sexual relationship at the end of Sinema's Senate term.
Ammel has been in a Buckeye jail since he was caught violating his pretrial release by allegedly contacting Sinema and bringing a large knife to a gun store at the end of September.
“The nature and seriousness of the threats, the defendant’s criminal history, past evidence concerning the Defendant's conduct, and the need for appropriate conditions of release if he is not deemed nonbondable need to be sufficient to protect K.S. and the community,” Sinema's lawyer wrote in a court filing.
Prosecutors have also asked the court to raise Ammel’s bond to $100,000 in cash, calling him a danger to Sinema and the broader community. In a court filing, attorneys claimed Ammel asked military friends to help him build a rifle and said that he made threats against a sitting North Carolina judge.
The judge in Ammel's Arizona case ordered the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office to bring him to court “by any means necessary, including the use of force.” Ammel refused transport to an earlier hearing on Oct. 1, according to officials.
Ammel caused more than $200,000 in damage to Sinema’s Cave Creek home when he dumped 22 of her paintings into her swimming pool and smashed expensive bottles of alcohol, a mirror and a wall clock at the end of August.
A grand jury indicted him on one count of criminal property damage, which is a class 4 felony Arizona.
Ammel told The Republic that he went on the violent rampage while Sinema was out of town because he was frustrated by her ties to the American Artificial Intelligence software developer called Palantir during the wars in Gaza and Iran.
Ammel is a former Green Beret who struggles with brain injuries and PTSD from his time in the military. He is also facing felony charges in North Carolina, where he was accused of strangling medical staff while involuntarily committed to a mental health facility.
Stephanie Murray covers national politics and the Trump administration for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. She co-hosts “The Gaggle,” The Republic’s weekly politics podcast. Reach her at stephanie.murray@usatodayco.com, on X and TikTok @stephanie_murr and on Instagram @stephaniemurray.news.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why a judge granted Sinema request to speed up ex-boyfriend court date
