Matthew Joseph Champagne, a 44-year-old White/Caucasian man from Manchester, New Hampshire, was a father who loved spending time with his children and telling everyone how proud he was of them. A graduate of Merrimack High School, he enjoyed fishing, playing darts, listening to music, and taking walks on the beach. His family remembered his love for road trips and the time he spent with his nieces.
On the night of September 29, 2023, police in Nashua, New Hampshire, responded to reports
of gunshots in a parking lot on Maple Street around 10:30 p.m. Arriving officers discovered the bodies of Matthew and his girlfriend, 45-year-old Patricia Swett of Nashua. An autopsy later determined that both had died from multiple gunshot wounds, and their deaths were ruled homicides.
The following day, authorities arrested Victor Rivera, then 47, of Nashua. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder for knowingly causing the deaths of Matthew and Patricia by shooting them, and alternatively, with two counts of second-degree murder for recklessly causing their deaths. The investigation revealed that Patricia was Rivera’s former girlfriend and had recently started a relationship with Matthew, who had been a friend of Rivera’s for seven years.
During a five-day trial in January 2025, Rivera testified that he suspected the two were dating. On the night of the killings, he saw them together at a local bar, followed them to the parking lot, and shot them. While the defense acknowledged that Rivera was the shooter, they argued about his state of mind at the time. On January 14, 2025, a jury found Victor Rivera guilty on two counts of second-degree murder.
At the sentencing hearing on March 10, 2025, family members spoke of their profound loss. Matthew’s son, Tyler, called Rivera a “disgusting, selfish coward,” and his daughter, Kylie, spoke of how Rivera had robbed her of her favorite person. The judge sentenced Rivera, then 49, to two consecutive terms of 40 years to life in prison, for a total minimum sentence of 80 years. He was also ordered to pay $25,400 in restitution. As of March 2025, the case is closed.
