A Manatee County man indicted in the murder of his mother, Patty Matejcek, and her boyfriend, Sean Harrison, appeared in court on Friday for an arraignment hearing.
On Thursday, the ABC Action News I-Team reported that Patty's sister, Krista Kale, warned the State Attorney's Office that her nephew, Thomas Matejcek, could kill someone if he was let out of jail, where he was being held for an attack on Patty and Sean that happened in May. He was charged with burglary with assault in that case and deemed incompetent.
He was on conditional release from jail when he was arrested in the deaths of Patty and Sean.
Family warned family member could kill someone months before he was indicted for murder
Matejcek entered pleas of not guilty for two counts of first-degree murder during his arraignment.
In the hearing, the judge said Matejcek refused to cooperate with doctors and refused to be interviewed to determine competency in the murder case. In court, Matejcek said he would cooperate going forward.
Matejcek's public defender advised the judge of several phone calls she made to Matejcek while he's been in jail.
"He was speaking irrationally to me and verbally abusive to me and hung up on me," she said.
In another example, she told the judge, "He said that he was a computer and didn't have to go to arraignment."
Matejcek then interrupted the hearing.
"You're a PD. You're supposed to be sticking up for me. I'm innocent. Completely innocent," he said.
The I-Team asked Kale what justice looks like to her.
"Tom never seeing the light of day. And he gets help, I mean obviously, you know, that he gets his help that straightens out his head, and he comes to realize and feel the guilt of what he's done," Kale said. "My sister should be here. You know, if they had locked him up, gave him his medication, they'd still be here."
Two doctors will determine Matejcek's competency in this case. If they do not agree, the judge will make the final decision and determine where he is placed.
A status conference is set for January 18 to see if Matejcek has cooperated with doctors.
