Greenfield murder suspect remains in New York; hearing pushed back

GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Greenfield murder suspect Taaniel Herberger-Brown remains in custody in New York State, and it still may be a while before he returns to face charges in Massachusetts.

According to the Albany County Court clerk’s office, a hearing for Herberger-Brown on a fugitive from justice charge that had been scheduled for Monday was postponed to May 31. Herberger-Brown has declined to waive extradition to Massachusetts, meaning a governor’s warrant will be needed to return him to Massachusetts, where he will be charged with the murder of 35-year-old Christopher Hairston of Pittsfield.

According to a police report obtained by 22News, on April 22, Greenfield police were called to 92 Chapman Street Apartment E, after the building’s landlord reported a foul odor and unknown substance inside a trash barrel in the apartment. The landlord told police he was there to check on the apartment, which Herberger-Brown, a former tenant, had previously been ordered to leave.

An arriving police officer discovered decomposing flesh inside the barrel, including what appeared to be a human hand and a human torso.

“Officer Griffin indicated that the body appeared to be wrapped in a plastic bag and placed in a trash barrel, consistent with an attempt to conceal and dispose of the body,” the report states.

Arriving at the incident a moment later, a state trooper also observed a hatchet on the floor near the barrel.

After obtaining a warrant, the body was removed from the barrel, as was other potential evidence from the apartment, including the hatchet as well as multiple knives and a laptop.

A warrant was issued for Herberger-Brown’s arrest, and he was arrested the following afternoon at Albany International Airport in New York. According to the police report, Herberger-Brown told investigators he was at the airport because he was planning to visit his mother out of the country. The suspect, however, mentioned several different destinations, including Germany, Vancouver, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland.

He allegedly told police that he had gotten into a physical altercation with an unknown person who had broken into his apartment. Herberger-Brown said he believed the intruder to have been on drugs, and said that after the altercation, he died because his “heart stopped.” Afterward, Herberger-Brown said he left the apartment to get a tire rotation. Police were not able to determine exactly when this alleged altercation took place.