Marshfield suspect waives extradition to Mass.
A 27-year-old man accused of fatally bludgeoning and stabbing a Marshfield couple in their 70s last month waived extradition to Massachusetts on Monday during a hearing in Florida.
“I’ll waive the extradition, ma’am,” Christopher Keeley, who is charged with killing Carl Mattson and Vicki L. Mattson in their Marshfield home, said during a remote hearing in a south Florida courtroom.
“Smart choice, sir,” Judge Mindy S. Glazer said from the bench.
Glazer set a Dec. 20 deadline for authorities to bring Keeley back to Massachusetts to face murder charges.
“Make sure he’s picked up,” Glazer said, adding that she expected Massachusetts law enforcement to “come quickly for you,” based on the charges.
A spokesperson for Florida prosecutors said Keeley should be returned to Massachusetts within the next 15 days.
Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz’s office and State Police couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on the timing of Keeley’s return. Marshfield Police Chief Phillip A. Tavares said he wasn’t sure how long it would take to bring Keeley back to Massachusetts.
Police in Miami Beach found Keeley while responding to a report of aggravated battery at 7:25 p.m. Friday near the intersection of 41st Street and North Meridian Avenue, according to Miami Beach Police Officer Ernesto Rodriguez, a department spokesperson.
Police found a man who had sustained a head injury and he was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center Unit, where he was in critical condition Sunday, Rodriguez said in an e-mail.
Keeley was found nearby and arrested on the warrant issued in the Marshfield killings, Rodriguez said. Officials in Florida said Sunday that they are looking into Keeley’s involvement in the Miami Beach attack.
On Monday, Keeley listened to the proceedings from a separate lockup area, wearing a green sleeveless shirt with his hair dyed red. He had been the target of a manhunt after police found the Mattsons’ bodies inside their home on Nov. 29. They had been beaten and stabbed to death. The couple’s dog was also found dead.
Keeley had been staying with the couple in their Gotham Hill Drive home and told a friend on Nov. 25 that he had attacked them, according to court documents.
Carl Mattson and Keeley got into an altercation over the dog, which had been barking, Keeley told his friend, according to a police report. The conflict led to the killings, the report stated.
The Mattsons were last seen alive on Thanksgiving Day, when they celebrated the holiday with relatives.
Carl Mattson, 72, and Vicki Mattson, who would have turned 71 last week, met as teenagers while growing up in Weymouth.
They would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary next year, according to their family.
Visitation hours will be held Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the C.C. Shepherd Funeral Home in Weymouth, and a funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Thursday at Old South Union Church in Weymouth, according to a death notice. The couple will be buried together.
The Mattsons “had the biggest hearts trying to help anyone in need,” their daughter wrote on Facebook.
Kristen Robinson wrote that her family has been buoyed by an outpouring of support after the deaths of her parents.
“From the bottom of my heart (and our family), I just want to thank everyone for their support.” she wrote. “My parents had the biggest hearts trying to help anyone in need ... Let’s pray that justice will be served.”
IN CUSTODY
Florida judge sets Dec. 20 deadline for Keeley to be picked up.