A man was sentenced to 80 years in prison on Friday after stabbing his former wife and her friend to death in 2021.

In September 2021, Denver Police found Katherine “Katy” Pivoda and her friend Jennifer Gelvin stabbed to death in the backyard of Pivoda’s Denver home, according to a Denver District Attorney’s Office news release.

The original call for help came from a neighbor, who said they heard Pivoda and her estranged husband Matthew Madden, 38, yelling and then heard Pivoda go quiet. The neighbor thought they heard Madden say “I’m a murderer,” according to the probable cause statement.

Another call came in afterward from Madden, who stated that he killed his wife and neighbor with a knife and had smoked an Adderall and had three bottles of wine, according to the affidavit.

Madden also said in the call that he is bipolar and told officials to take care of his kids because he did not want to go to prison and would rather end his life.

Officers arrived at 12:19 a.m., finding Madden inside the house covered in blood and holding a knife. He was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

Pivoda and Gelvin were found dead with multiple stab wounds in the backyard and officers found two children sleeping inside the house, according to the affidavit.

In April 2023, Madden pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree homicide and on Friday, Judge Nikea Bland sentenced Madden to 80 years, 40 for each victim, in the Colorado Department of Corrections.

“This senseless act of violence affected not one but two families and the community as a whole,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Effie Antonopoulos said. “We believe that Jennifer was trying to help Katy when she was murdered by Matthew Madden.”