MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A Manatee County man was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison after killing his own mother and her boyfriend.
Court records show Thomas Matejek was found guilty on April in the murders of Patty Matejcek, and her boyfriend, Sean Harrison back in November of 2023.
In December of 2023, Tampa Bay 28 I-Team reporter Kylie McGivern 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 of that year. 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.
Kale talked to McGivern on Tuesday after the trial and told her she’d like the law changed so that dangerous people like her nephew, who was initially found incompetent to stand trial, cannot be released into the public while awaiting their next court date.
The trial lasted one day. Matejek was convicted on both counts and sentenced to life in prison.
Matejcek has 30 days to file an appeal.
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Kylie McGivern works tirelessly to get results for the people of Tampa Bay. Her reporting has exposed flaws in Florida’s corrections system and unemployment process. Reach out to Kylie and our I-Team if you need help holding state leaders accountable.
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