Man who broke into Eminem’s home twice gets 18 years in prison

A man convicted of breaking into Eminem’s home a second time was sentenced to prison this week, according to court records. Matthew Hughes on Tuesday was given 15 to 30 years by a Macomb County Circuit judge, records said.

The judge also ordered Hughes to have no contact with Eminem or be within 500 feet of the rapper’s home or him, they said. Hughes’ attorney with the Macomb County Public Defender’s Office was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday.

Authorities alleged that on Aug. 26, 2024, the defendant broke into Mathers’ home in a gated Clinton Township community. Hughes was charged with first-degree home invasion, a 20-year felony, and aggravated stalking, a five-year felony.

Last month, a jury convicted him on both charges after deliberating for about 90 minutes following a two-day trial. The judge sentenced him on Tuesday to three to seven years and six months for the stalking charge. On Wednesday, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said Hughes’ two sentences will run consecutively, resulting in a minimum sentence of at least 18 years.

“No one, celebrity or not, should ever feel unsafe in their own home,” Lucido said in a statement. “This sentence sends a clear message that stalking and home invasion will be taken seriously in Macomb County and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Everyone has the right to privacy, safety, and peace of mind.”

It isn’t the first time Hughes was convicted of breaking into Mathers’ home. He was arrested on April 5, 2020, for breaking into the hip-hop star’s house. Eminem was sleeping when he was awakened by the noise of Hughes breaking a kitchen door window with a brick paver. Eminem got Hughes to leave the house, where he was met by security guards and held until police arrived. Hughes was charged with first-degree home invasion and malicious destruction of property worth between $1,000 and $20,000, a five-year felony.

During a court hearing in September the same year, a police officer testified Hughes told the rapper that “he was there to kill him.” The defendant was ordered to stand trial, and a judge sentenced him in September 2021 to five years’ probation and time served.

A month after he was sentenced, Hughes was charged with violating his probation and accused of assaulting a mall security officer in Taylor. He failed to show up for a probation appointment and pleaded guilty to the charge. He pleaded not guilty to the assault charge.