CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (Court TV) — A woman admitted to having an affair with a former paramedic who is standing trial for killing his wife and father-in-law, but insisted the defendant was an “honest” person.
Matthew Konen sits in court during his trial on Oct. 1, 2026. (Court TV)
Matthew Konen, 36, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his wife, Rachel Konen, and her father, David Rogers. Both victims were shot and killed Jan. 20, 2021, at the home the couple shared.
Matthew Konen has denied killing his first wife and told investigators that Rogers opened fire at his daughter. When that happened, the defendant said he tackled his father-in-law and wrestled the gun away, clearing the magazine before beating him with the weapon. In a 911 call played for the jury, Matthew Konen is heard continuing to attack Rogers, who he said was still moving.
Prosecutors told the jury that Matthew Konen had a financial motive to kill his wife, arguing that the impending divorce left him with money problems. Matthew Konen’s attorney conceded to the jury that his client had an affair with a co-worker before Rachel Konen was killed, but said that the marriage was ending amicably and that both Rachel and Matthew Konen were adjusting to life after the split.
Matthew Konen’s defense began presenting its case to the jury on Thursday, calling his new wife — the woman he was having an affair with while married to the victim — to testify. She admitted that she knew the defendant had a wife and four children when the relationship started, but maintained that she would describe her husband as “very honest. Very, very honest and truthful.”
Morgan Konen said she met Matthew Konen in 2018, when the two began working at the same fire department as EMTs. In 2019, both were assigned to the same ambulance; Morgan Konen testified that the relationship turned physical in May 2020. Rachel Konen learned of the affair shortly afterward, on Father’s Day. District Attorney General Robert Nash revealed during cross-examination that Rachel Konen found out about her husband’s affair after using his phone and sending messages to his girlfriend, pretending to be the defendant.
Morgan Konen said that on the day of the killings, she spent the day with the defendant. They got massages, grabbed lunch and then relaxed at her house. When Rachel Konen called to say she needed him to come home and help watch the kids so she could pack for an upcoming trip, the defendant left. Morgan Konen testified that she had no idea anything was wrong until she got a call at 4 a.m. the next morning asking her to pick Matthew Konen up from the police station.
Morgan Konen told the jury that her husband had no reason to kill his wife, and that the two were relying on Rachel Konen to watch the couple’s four children so that she and Matthew Konen could travel together.
Morgan Konen testified at her husband’s trial on Oct. 1, 2026. (Court TV)
Nash emphasized Matthew Konen’s mounting financial obligations, noting that after his divorce from Rachel Konen was finalized, he would have kept only $900 a month from two paychecks after child support, alimony and car payments. In one text Nash showed to the jury, Matthew Konen told Morgan Konen, “I’m just worried about money is all.” Another message from the defendant to his then-girlfriend, sent less than two weeks before Rachel Konen’s death, said that he got into a fight with the victim over when to tell their children about their decision to divorce. “I wanted to tell them on a day when I’m going to be home all night so when we told them I wouldn’t have to leave immediately after. I want to show them that I’m still going to be around and she got mad about me wanting to wait til next week so then she basically told me that I couldn’t live here anymore and it went downhill from there.”
During cross-examination, Morgan Konen said that since the killings, Matthew Konen has lived with her and her parents. She and the defendant got married in 2023, but have not been able to afford a home of their own.
Nash: It’s been five years that he hasn’t had to pay all those obligations that he was going to have to in a few weeks, and y’all still can’t afford a place to live. So what makes you think at that time when he was going to have to pay half his take home — he was in financial trouble, wasn’t he?
Morgan Konen: I don’t believe him to be in financial trouble. We’ve had a lot of other things happen in the last five years that caused both of us to have different jobs and different incomes and our financial status is not what it was.
The defense is expected to continue calling witnesses when the trial resumes on Monday. Matthew Konen has not said whether he plans to testify.
