‘An obvious danger.’ Bradenton murder suspect had abused his mother before, family says
The 36-year-old Bradenton man accused of murdering his mother and her boyfriend was freed from jail weeks before the killings after assaulting the pair in May, court records show.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Thomas Matejcek on May 18 for burglary with assault or battery and tampering with a witness after detectives say he pushed Patricia Matejcek and Sean Harrison’s front door open and beat them.
Patricia Matejcek’s sister, Krista Kale, claimed online that this kind of abuse was something the couple had faced from Thomas Matejcek for years and that the “justice system has failed them.”
“She has faced years of physical, mental and emotional abuse at the hands of this monster with no help from the courts to stop this man,” Kale wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to “lay Patty to rest.” “Numerous attempts were made to beg for her safety to be met with incompetence, ignorance and injustice.”
A spokesperson for the State Attorney’s office told the Bradenton Herald that because Matejcek has an active criminal case open, they are unable to comment on the matter.
Matejcek’s attorney did not respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
According to the sheriff’s office, Matejcek remains in custody at the Manatee County Jail.
Suspect attacked mother, court records say
Court records show that Thomas Matejcek was found incompetent to stand trial in August and Circuit Court Judge Frederick Mercurio ordered his conditional release on Oct. 23 to a group home in East Bradenton. He was also ordered to receive mental health treatment at Centerstone, court records show.
Thomas Matejcek stayed at the group home for a few hours before leaving, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Thomas Matejcek’s stay at the group home was a condition of his release from jail, but it does not appear that he was arrested after leaving, according to court records.
Weeks later, detectives say he killed his mother, 62-year-old Patricia Matejcek, and her boyfriend, 55-year-old Harrison, less than six months after he was arrested for allegedly punching and choking Harrison and allegedly shoving his mother to the ground, breaking her hip.
During the attack, detectives say Thomas Matejcek took the couple’s cell phones so the two couldn’t contact law enforcement, which resulted in the tampering with a witness charges.
“Thomas J. Matejcek poses an obvious danger to these victims,” a detective with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office wrote in May.
Detectives said this wasn’t Thomas Matejcek’s first time attacking the couple. In 2020, court records show he took a plea deal for suffocating his mother with a pillow.
He also allegedly threatened to kill her at the time of the attack, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Family describes history of abuse
Kale often took to Facebook to express her frustration over the situation.
“It’s just not right that someone can commit the crimes that he has and can walk away! I suspect he will be out in the near future, so everyone watch over your shoulders for Tom,” Kale wrote on Facebook in September.
She told the Bradenton Herald in an email that she pleaded with the State Attorney’s office not to let him out.
“My sister and Sean should still be here and shouldn’t have had to live in fear for the last couple of months,” she wrote.
She wrote on Facebook that she believed Thomas Matejcek went after the couple thinking his money had been stolen. He also believed he was dating pop star Katy Perry, she wrote.
On Friday, Nov. 10, the sheriff’s office says a neighbor heard screaming and called 911.
When Manatee County Sheriff’s deputies arrived, they said they saw Thomas Matejcek running away before eventually finding him along 14th Street West.
The couple was found “suffering from injuries with a significant amount of blood loss,” according to a probable cause affidavit, which also stated a knife was found in the sink with the kitchen faucet running.
The sheriff’s office said a razor was also found on Thomas Matejcek.
Thomas Matejcek was arrested and ordered to be held without bond for failing to comply with the conditions of his release, according to court records.
He is charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
Thomas Matejcek’s arraignment date is scheduled for Jan. 5, court records show.
But for Kale, it’s too little too late, she said.
“Our beautiful sister feared and begged for her life only to be told sorry. Now we are faced with granting her last wishes too soon due to the incompetency of our judicial system,” she wrote on the GoFundMe.
