The Castle Rock man who stabbed his mother to death before setting her house on fire in 2022 was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 50 years in prison.

Matthew Buchanan, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder and one count of attempted aggravated cruelty to animals in May, according to court records.

During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Buchanan was sentenced to 49 years and 6 months in prison — 24 years for each of the murder charges and 18 months for attempted animal cruelty — according to court records.

The 34-year-old was charged with a criminal attempt to commit aggravated cruelty to animals for leaving dogs inside of the house before setting it on fire.

Buchanan originally faced 13 charges, including first-degree murder, arson, tampering with evidence, harassment and criminal mischief, court records show. The ten other charges were dropped as part of his May plea deal.

Buchanan’s mother — Elizabeth Bjorlow — was found dead by Castle Rock police on April 26, 2022, when officers responded to reports of a house fire on Dove Valley Place.

Bjorlow’s body was found in the kitchen and police said she had sustained trauma on her face, head and hands, with investigators determining that “her clothes appeared to have been set on fire and were partially burned.”

Emergency responders rescued a relative from inside of the home — a paraplegic man, who recalled a “verbal disturbance” between the mother and son before the fire was set, according to previous reporting.

Surveillance footage from a neighbor’s doorbell camera revealed that a white minivan — identified by relatives as the Buchanan’s — drove away from the house before the fire was reported.

One week after the crimes, Buchanan was arrested in Florida and authorities later extradited him to Douglas County Jail.

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Originally Published: July 24, 2024 at 2:06 p.m.