A double homicide suspect refuses to take medication given to him in prison

BRADENTON, Fla. – A Bradenton man is behind bars accused of killing his mother and her boyfriend.

Family members tell 10 Investigators that when Thomas Matejcek is sitting in a jail cell, he refuses to take his court-ordered medication. They worry that once again, he will be ruled incompetent and they worry that he will return to the streets.

Matejcek was arrested in November and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Manatee County deputies were called just after 12 p.m. on Nov. 10 regarding a disturbance at the Arbor Terrace RV park on 55th Avenue West in Bradenton. According to the sheriff’s office, neighbors heard a woman screaming for help and called 911. Deputies said they arrived to find 62-year-old Patricia Matejcek and her boyfriend, Sean Harrison Sr. 55 years old, they died on the floor of the car. home.

Patti Matejcek’s sister, Krista Kale, who is also Thomas’ aunt, told 10 Investigates in February that her nephew was in custody two years ago for strangling his mother, but he was released from prison after being found incompetent.

Now, they wonder what might happen if he refuses to take the medication prescribed to keep him competent while facing two counts of first-degree murder. Kale shared his nephew’s medicine trunks with us for a few weeks. Records show that after returning to prison from the treatment center, he refused his medication almost every day.

10 The investigators received an order from the court that says if the accused is given medication by the state mental institution and the accused refuses the medication, the prison should inform the court immediately, so that the matter can be dealt with in the next case. The document even states that continuing medication, if necessary, is key to maintaining his abilities.

“You need to take that medicine. They say he is no longer fit to stay in a medical facility and he is competent,” said Kale. As of last Friday, he has been there for two to three weeks, and has taken one shot in that time.

The state attorney tells us in an email, “It is true that he refuses to take medication and the medical staff at the prison does not want to give medication voluntarily.”

They went on to say, “I spoke to a consultant (Gregg Toomey) who represents the prison medical service (Yescare) and he told me it would be illegal for a prison to force an inmate. He said there are specific rules that govern State Hospital (run by DCF-Dept of Children & Families) and that they are allowed to forcibly treat patients but those laws do not exist for prisons he seemed to disagree with this assessment.

Regardless, we have a hearing tomorrow morning to address his refusal to take his medication. I’m not sure what the judge has planned for the case, but there are a few possible outcomes:

1) the judge can talk to Matejcek and emphasize the importance of taking his medication and trust that he will follow it. If his abilities continue to decline he may be sent back to the National Hospital where they will forcefully treat him.

2) the judge can decide to send him back to the hospital without waiting for more information

3) the judge can order the prison to forcibly treat him where the medical provider will fight it and need more court proceedings.

If necessary, the Government has the option of asking the Court to commit Matejcek to the State Hospital pending trial (rather than prison) to keep him on medication and ensure he has the ability to charged, but I would assume that the defense would fight that. production.”