Kriti Mehrotra
It was on January 6, 2021, when the world turned upside down for a family as domestic issues turned into such severe domestic violence that everyone initially believed there had been a murder. However, as explored in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Evil Lives Here: Trapped Abroad with a Psychopath,’ Eline Kinn not only survived the attack on her but she subsequently thrived. In fact, she moved away from her attacker for good upon recovering and then returned to give a statement against him in court, ensuring that he spends as much time in prison as possible.
Eline Kinn Almost Lost Her Life at the Hands of Her Husband
Although not much regarding Eline Kinn’s relationship with Matthew Stallings is publicly available as of writing, the Norway native did find herself settling down in North Carolina for him. In fact, she actually tied the knot with him before welcoming a beautiful son into this world, unaware he also had a dark side that changed him from a charmer to a scary man. According to records, he gradually let his alleged reality come forward, and it reportedly felt to his wife as if she were trapped with a violent, manipulative, impulsive man with no empathy or remorse.
Nevertheless, Eline eventually got the courage to leave Matthew, unaware that on the evening of January 6, 2021, he would kick down the front door of her Coddington Loop apartment in Wilmington. She was having dinner with her 3-year-old son at the time, but he made a beeline to her, pulled out a foldable knife, and stabbed her more than 15 times right in front of the boy. Thankfully, a neighbor heard the commotion and ran in to grab the toddler and rush him away from the violence as his mother screamed for him not to be taken away from her.
The neighbor also called 911 as Matthew started to beat Eline before throwing her off her second-floor balcony right to the pavement below – he subsequently fled the scene without looking back. As per witness accounts, they took the 3-year-old from his home to keep him safe during the attack, but his father did not even look for him or try to grab him before rushing away for good. Because of the brutal attack and harrowing fall, many did think the worst about Eline possibly not making it, but she was still breathing when first responders arrived at the scene.
Eline Kinn Made a Remarkable Recovery Within Weeks
Eline was immediately transported to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center because, while she was still alive, she was suffering from some severe and truly life-threatening injuries. She subsequently had to undergo an intensive surgery and was on life support for a few days before opening her eyes to let experts know she was physically, mentally, as well as emotionally sound. They honestly expected her to be in the hospital for at least a month to recover from her physical injuries and the surgery, but she worked hard on herself to be discharged in 9 days.
Eline had to learn to walk again, she had to learn how to use her arms properly, and she had to learn to rely on others in a way she never had before, but she did it for the sake of her young son. She wanted to live, yes, but she also wanted to be better for her 3-year-old – he was her motivation behind her hard work and her sheer resilience because the love they had transcended everything. “I just wanted to get back to my son,” she once said. “I was fighting for that every single day, trying to get out of that hospital. They originally said I was going to be there the whole month. I was like, ‘Well, you have not met me yet.’”
Since then, Eline and her son have relocated to Oslo, Norway for good, where they currently lead comfortably, happy, quiet lives surrounded by their loved ones at every step of the way. They are still undeniably affected by the past since it changed everything they thought they knew and really traumatized them, but they do hope the latter part of it will subside over time. From what we can tell, though, Eline is now using that pain and trauma to help others by speaking out against domestic violence in the hopes that others like her will hear her story and seek help before it’s too late. This Freelance Guest Services Specialist has since also decided to go to school again to start a new chapter of her life and be able to better provide for her family in the future.
Matthew Stallings is Serving 15 to 19 Years Behind State Bars
With witness statements, Eline’s condition, and her subsequent statements upon recovery, there was no diminishing the seriousness of her attack at the hands of her estranged husband. Therefore, investigators immediately got to work and tracked Matthew down around 50 miles away to Duplin County, from where he was arrested with the help of the local Sheriff’s Office. He was then transferred to New Hanover and held in a county jail without bond on the charges of felony first-degree attempted murder, felony first-degree burglary, and misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon with a minor present.
Matthew never once denied what had transpired or his involvement in the same; instead, he stated that drug used had driven him to the edge, but it didn’t reflect the man he really is. Nevertheless, it’s imperative to note that he had reportedly told his family that he had murdered his wife on that fateful night. It was over a year later, on May 31, 2022, that Matthew pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, for which he was sentenced to 15 to 19 years in a state prison. He was also ordered to undergo mental health as well as substance abuse treatment while behind bars and told that he would be on house arrest for a year after his release. As if that’s not enough, the judge also made it clear that he is to have no contact with his former wife and son ever again, not even following his release.
All these came after Eline gave an emotional impact statement – she had traveled all the way from Norway to south-eastern North Carolina to deliver it before returning home for good. “I needed to do this for me,” she later told WECT in a candid interview. “If I didn’t come here and say my statements, say my peace — what was the point of the trip, you know?” So, today, at the age of 34, he remains incarcerated at the close-custody, medium-security Eastern Correctional Institution in Maury, North Carolina, where he is expected to remain until at least his projected release date of March 1, 2036.
Read More: Matthew Plote: Where is Melissa Lamesch’s Killer Now?
