The fugitive accused of stabbing an elderly Massachusetts couple to death after an argument over a barking dog was captured in Florida, cops announced.
Christopher Keeley, 27, was arrested Thursday at 8:20 p.m. in Miami Beach, over 1,500 miles from where he allegedly bludgeoned Carl and Vicki Mattson, both 70, in their Marshfield home, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said.
Police believe Keeley killed the couple after an argument over a barking dog.
The alleged brute had been living in the Mattson’s Gotham Hill Drive home as a favor to a family member but was recently asked to leave, court documents obtained by CBS state.
Keeley was apparently afraid he’d be left without a home after began after a woman in nearby Weymouth considered letting him stay with her but decided against it, according to CBS.
Keeley admitted to a friend he attacked the couple after the three argued over a barking dog, the filings state. Keeley also admitted to harboring violent urges, including toward the Mattsons. The friend, who asked police to conduct a wellness check on the couple, told police Keeleky was acting “psychotic” and was known to carry knives.
Police found the couple stabbed to death inside their home Tuesday night, though officials believe they were attacked the prior week. Vicki Mattson would have turned 71 Wednesday.
A dog, previously reported missing, was also found dead inside the house, the DA said. It is not clear who the dog belonged to or how it died.
The murder would not be the first time Keeley resorted to violence following an argument.
When he was 18, Keeley smashed his grandmother’s car window after they fought over a phone charger, The Patriot Ledger reported. He was charged with malicious damage to a motor vehicle.
Keeley had at least two other serious run-ins with the law. He was arrested in 2016 at age 21 for planning and carrying out a group beatdown of a man with autism before stealing his cellphone and wallet, according to the newspaper. A Massachusetts judge reportedly found Keeley “to be dangerous” and he was later sentenced to 18 months at a house of corrections.
Recently, Keeley was hit with drug charges after he was allegedly pulled over with Xanax and marijuana in his car. He was slapped with drug charges, court documents obtained by the Ledger show.
Keeley now faces an extradition hearing in Florida before facing charges in Massachusetts.
