Man who killed his mother in Castle Rock sentenced to 48 years

DENVER ( KDVR ) — The man who pleaded guilty to killing his mother in Castle Rock has been sentenced on Wednesday. She was found stabbed to death in her home after it had been set on fire.

Matthew Buchanan was given the maximum sentence of 48 years for second-degree murder, attempt to commit first-degree murder and attempt to commit cruelty to animals. He originally was facing 11 charges stemming from the incident.

The animal cruelty charges stem from dogs that were inside the house during the fire, according to arrest affidavits.

On April 26, 2022, Elizabeth Bjorlow was killed in her own home by her adult son .

Police said Buchanan was 32 years old at the time of his mother’s death and had lived with Elizabeth and her husband for 16 years. Bryan Bjorlow, Elizabeth’s husband, said while there were disagreements, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the household.

“I do want to bring some light to whatever this was that happened,” Elizabeth’s oldest daughter told FOX31’s Kirk Yuhnke in a May interview. “I mean, my mother was this beautiful … I mean, she was healthy, she was happy, everything seemed fine. And then she was brutally murdered.”

The family said “Liz” was a loving mother and grandmother who was married to Bryan for 23 years. She was a caretaker, helping take care of her brother-in-law after he suffered a stroke.

According to Castle Rock police, Elizabeth was stabbed multiple times before her house was set on fire. Buchanan fled the state after the murder and was ultimately arrested by law enforcement in Florida and extradited to Colorado.

Elizabeth’s family members were in court and have told FOX31 they still do not have answers as to why their own family member did this.

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