Firefighter Sentenced to Life for Murdering Pregnant Ex-Girlfriend, Setting Fire to Cover Up Crime

This story originally aired on Nov. 30, 2024. It was updated on Jan. 31, 2026.

On the eve of Thanksgiving in 2020, the air in Mt. Morris, Illinois, was thick with anticipation for Melissa Lamesch. At 27, the former EMT was just two days from her due date, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her son, Barrett. Her final phone call with her sister, Cassie Baal, that morning was filled with plans for a quiet holiday and excitement about the future. The conversation ended abruptly when Melissa saw a familiar, and increasingly unwelcome, visitor at her door: Matthew Plote, the 33-year-old firefighter and expectant father.

She promised to call right back. She never did.

Hours later, firefighters responded to a blaze at Lamesch's childhood home. Inside the smoke-filled kitchen, they found her body. What initially appeared to be a tragic accident would unravel into a chilling tale of betrayal, revealing a man who prosecutors say viewed impending fatherhood not as a blessing, but as a deadline to be eliminated.

"The fire didn't kill her," said Lt. Brian Ketter of the Ogle County Sheriff's Office, who led the investigation. An autopsy would confirm his suspicion: Melissa Lamesch had been strangled. There was no soot in her airways, and her carbon monoxide levels were normal. She was dead before the first flame was lit.

The investigation quickly turned to Matthew Plote. Colleagues at the Carol Stream Fire District, some 75 miles away, were stunned. Fire Chief Rob Schultz described Plote as a quiet, single man who had never mentioned a pregnant girlfriend. "The knot in my stomach... I literally wanted to throw up," Schultz recalled upon learning his firefighter was the prime suspect in a double homicide.

Prosecutors built a case that Plote, entangled with multiple women and desperate to keep the pregnancy a secret, saw only one way out. Evidence placed him at the scene. DNA under Melissa's fingernails matched his. Crucially, fire investigator Michael Poel determined the blaze was intentionally set in the kitchen, with no accidental cause like faulty wiring or a cooking fire. "I'm certain that it was intentionally set," Poel testified. "No doubt."

Perhaps the most damning evidence came from Plote himself. In hours of police interviews, he remained eerily emotionless, never once denying the murder. He referred to the baby's due date as a "deadline." "He said, there's a deadline to these kinds of things," said Assistant State's Attorney Allison Huntley. "That was his deadline to murder Melissa."

The defense, led by attorney John Kopp, argued the investigation was flawed and rushed, focusing solely on Plote. They suggested the fire's cause was "undetermined" and portrayed Plote as a dedicated public servant caught in a tragedy.

The jury deliberated for just two hours in March 2024 before finding Matthew Plote guilty of first-degree murder, intentional homicide of an unborn child, and arson. Three months later, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

For Melissa's family, the verdict brought a measure of justice, but no peace. "Nothing about this is fair," her mother, Deanna Lamesch, said. "No punishment in the world brings them back." They honor Melissa and the grandson they never met, Barrett, through donations and a memorial tree that shines brightly each holiday season—a enduring light for a life brutally extinguished.

Community Reaction

David Chen, Retired Police Captain: "This case is a stark reminder that predators can hide in plain sight, even in professions built on public trust. The investigation was textbook: they followed the physical evidence and the behavioral clues—his silence was as telling as any confession."

Rebecca Shaw, Family Advocate: "My heart breaks for the Lamesch family. Melissa did everything right—she had a support system, she was excited to be a mom. This highlights the terrifying reality of pregnancy-related violence. A woman should never have to fear the father of her child."

Mark Gibson, Local Blogger & Commentator: "A life sentence? Good. But let's not forget the systemic failure here. This guy was a walking red flag—emotionless in interviews, secretive about his life. Where was the peer support structure in his firehouse? We venerate these jobs but sometimes miss the broken people inside the uniforms."

Priya Mehta, Clinical Psychologist: "Plote's behavior—the secrecy, the compartmentalization, the chilling calm—points to profound narcissism and a pathological need for control. He didn't see a family; he saw a problem threatening his carefully constructed image, and he 'solved' it with horrific finality."