A Michigan man with a disturbing history of targeting rapper Eminem has been sentenced to decades behind bars after his latest brush with the law.
Matthew David Hughes, 32, was handed two consecutive prison terms—15 to 30 years for first-degree home invasion and an additional 3 to 7½ years for aggravated stalking—during a sentencing hearing on June 17 in Macomb County Circuit Court. Judge Diane Druzinski also added time for parole violations, making it clear Hughes would not receive credit for time already served.
The verdict followed a swift trial in May, where Eminem, born Marshall Mathers III, took the stand. It took the jury just one hour to return a guilty verdict. Hughes is now barred from coming within 500 feet of the rapper.
This marks the second time Hughes has been prosecuted for trespassing at Eminem’s Clinton Township home. His most recent arrest came in August 2023, only three months after being released on parole. Authorities say Hughes was spotted near the rapper’s property again and later found at a nearby Walmart, living in a local motel.
Hughes’ pattern of obsessive behavior dates back years. In a chilling 2020 incident, he bypassed security, entered Eminem’s home, and allegedly told the rapper he was there to kill him. That case ended in a plea deal, resulting in five years of probation. But Hughes soon violated that agreement after being arrested for assault, leading to a prison sentence. He was released on parole in May 2024, with supervision scheduled through 2026—until his abrupt return to Eminem’s property just three months later.
The saga has drawn comparisons to “Stan,” Eminem’s iconic 2000 track that eerily foreshadowed the dangers of obsessive fandom. The timing of Hughes’ sentencing is notable, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of The Marshall Mathers LP, the landmark album that cemented Eminem’s place in hip-hop history.
Hughes’ fixation on the rapper has spanned years. In 2019, he was discovered sleeping in the guest house of a former Eminem property—an unsettling prelude to the more serious invasions that followed.
