Kyrsten Sinema’s former bodyguard and alleged lover threatened to “punish” the ex-lawmaker and allegedly vowed to decapitate a judge, according to chilling text messages revealed in court. Matthew Ammel appeared at a hearing after allegedly violating a no-contact order issued to protect Sinema.
Prosecutors cited messages allegedly sent by Ammel that left Sinema “reasonably and objectively afraid” she could suffer serious harm, 12News reported Monday.
Ammel, who is accused of vandalizing Sinema’s home, was arrested Sept. 29 outside a Phoenix gun store for allegedly breaching the no-contact order. He was being held on a $25,000 bond, but prosecutors asked the court to raise it to $100,000 in cash only.
Investigators said they found messages allegedly written by Ammel not only about Sinema, but also about a North Carolina judge. The judge was not identified. Ammel’s ex-wife, Heather Ammel, had filed a lawsuit in the state under its so-called “homewrecker” law.
“She needs to pay,” Ammel, an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, allegedly wrote in one message while telling a bail bondsman that Sinema should cover his bond.
In another alleged message, Ammel wrote, “I’m taking her down no matter what it takes.” Prosecutors also said he wrote, “she needs to be punished.”
The timing of those alleged messages remains unclear. However, an attorney representing Sinema told the court that they had significantly affected her sense of safety and wellbeing.
“[She] is reasonably and objectively afraid that if [Ammel] is released, that he will seriously injure either [her] or someone else in the community,” the victim’s attorney said during Monday’s hearing in Arizona.
Ammel also allegedly confided in military acquaintances on Aug. 16, writing: “I’m going to decapitate this f—-t and kill his entire family.”
Ammel previously pleaded guilty to assaulting a physician at a hospital in North Carolina.
Prosecutors sought a $100,000 cash-only bond, acknowledging that the amount “seems disproportionate” to the criminal damage charge connected to the alleged destruction of Sinema’s Cave Creek home in late August.
“A high cash-only bond is the only way to protect the victim and the community, and to ensure he complies with court orders,” prosecutors argued.
Ammel remains in custody and would be placed under house arrest if he posts bond.
He would also be required to wear an electronic monitoring device as a condition of his release.
Ammel joined Sinema’s security team in 2022 and began a romantic relationship with her before his divorce was finalized. He is scheduled to stand trial Feb. 9, 2027, over allegations that he caused more than $200,000 in damage to her home. Ammel attributed the destruction to being “p—-d” at the U.S. political system.
He allegedly threw 22 paintings into Sinema’s swimming pool, smashed several expensive bottles of alcohol and destroyed a mirror.
Ammel has since said he damaged the home after Sinema refused to share a video showing soldiers helping a wounded man in Iraq.
Sinema’s relationship with her former bodyguard became public after Ammel’s ex-wife of 14 years sued the former politician under North Carolina’s “homewrecker law.”
Heather Ammel accused Sinema of contributing to the breakdown of her marriage by having an affair with her ex-husband during trips they took around the world.
She also alleged that Sinema bought Ammel gifts and paid for him to undergo psychedelic treatment during the relationship.