Services Set For Valrico Grandfather Killed In Carjacking

Correction: The statement released by the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office on the early release of murder suspect James Hanson Jr. was intended to explain a decision made by a prior administration. State Attorney Andrew Warren was not in office at the time the decision was made to. He has not taken any position defending or criticizing the 2016 decision.

BRANDON, FL — Funeral services for a Valrico man who was found murdered during a carjacking on Tuesday will take place Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Nativity Catholic Church, 705 E. Brandon Blvd., Brandon.

Mathew M. Korattiyil, 68, was found dead behind the Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Community Center, 2620 Washington Road in Valrico, after an intensive search by more than 100 Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies and FBI agents.

His accused killer, James Hanson Jr., 39, is being held at the Orient Road Jail without bond, charged with premeditated first-degree murder, carjacking, grand theft auto, kidnapping, robbery and resisting arrest with violence.

According to the sheriff's office, Hanson confessed to robbing the CenterState Bank in Valrico and then carjacking Korattiyil's Lexus SUV with Korattiyil inside.

An hour and a half later, deputies spotted Hanson behind the wheel of the Lexus. Hanson sped away, but was caught after deputies placed stop sticks at the intersection of South St. Cloud Avenue and State Road 60. But Korrattiyil was not in the SUV.

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Hanson told detectives that Korattiyil begged to be released. When Hanson refused, he said Korattiyil punched him and ran away. Hanson chased after him and strangled Korattiyil first with his hands and then with Korattiyil's belt. He then dragged Korattiyil's body into some bushes behind the community center.

Friends of Korattiyil said Korattiyil recently retired and was looking forward to spending more time with his grandchildren.

Born June 5, 1951, in Peroor, Kerala, India, Korattiyil was a lifetime member of the Knanaya Catholic community.

A resident of Valrico for more than 25 years, he owned the Marathon M and M Food Store (Valrico Food Store) at 1700 N. Valrico Road in Dover and was an active member of Nativity Catholic Church and the Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Community Center.

The Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Community Center is made up of about 250 people who immigrated to central Florida from Kerala, India. They belong to a tightly-knit Catholic religious sect founded by St. Thomas Christians of Malabar in 345 A.D.

There will be a visitation for Korattiyil at Sacred Heart Knanaya Community Center Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. and at Nativity Catholic Church Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Funeral Services will be held at Nativity Catholic Church Saturday at 10:30 a.m. with the Rev. John Tapp officiating. Graveside services will follow at 1 p.m. at Hillsboro Memorial Gardens, 2323 W. Brandon Blvd., Brandon.

Related stories:

Man Found Dead After Being Carjacked In Valrico

Video: Accused Valrico Bank Robber, Carjacker Charged With Murder

Korattiyil is survived by his wife, Lillykutty M. (Theccanat) Korattiyil; his children, Melvin M., Melson M. and Manju M. Korattiyil; his siblings, Joseph M., Dominic M. and Martin M. Korattiyil, Leela Kandarappallil, Lucy Thomas and Lovely Joseph; and grandchildren, Micah, Josiah, Selah and Amelia.

In the aftermath of Korattiyil's murder, condolences are pouring in from friends, fellow parishioners and former customers. Residents are also expressing anger that Hanson was back on the streets in the first place after being sentenced to life in prison as a habitual violent felony offender in 2003 for robbing the AmSouth Bank on Armenia Avenue July 2, 2002, just after being released from prison in North Carolina.

During the robbery, Hanson threatened to shoot employees with an assault rifle that he had hidden in his pants leg.

Hanson's sentence was reduced after making a deal three years ago to testify against a fellow inmate involved in a 2014 murder. Hanson told prosecutors that the inmate confessed to him and asked Hanson to arrange a hit on two witnesses testifying against him.

In exchange for his testimony, Hanson served only 16 years of his life sentence. He was released from prison just five weeks ago.

"The hard reality of our criminal justice system is that sometimes prosecutors have to use the testimony of criminals to convict other criminals," said the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office. Current State Attorney Andrew Warren was not in office at the time the deal was made.

Here is the complete statement issued by the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office:

Defendant James Hanson is currently being held without bail for the murder of Mathew Korattiyil, and we will work tirelessly to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law to achieve justice for Mathew, and our entire community.

Our office has charged James Hanson with first degree murder, kidnapping, carjacking, robbery, grand theft motor vehicle, and resisting an officer with violence. Hanson was released from prison last month to begin 10 years of probation after serving a 20-year sentence in connection with a 2002 robbery. In 2003, Hanson was initially sentenced to life in prison for that robbery.

In 2016, Hanson became a material witness in the prosecution of another defendant, Robert Alton Henderson III, on charges of first-degree murder and robbery. Henderson confessed his crimes to Hanson and solicited Hanson to kill two witnesses in Henderson’s case. Hanson provided this information to law enforcement and testified at trial against Henderson. Hanson’s testimony was critical in convicting Henderson of murder and robbery, for which Henderson is serving a life sentence.

At the same time in 2016, Hanson was seeking a new trial for his 2002 conviction on multiple grounds. The presiding court found some of Hanson’s grounds to be tenable. In consideration of his post-conviction claims and the substantial testimony he provided against Henderson, the State Attorney’s Office agreed to a sentence of 20 years imprisonment plus 10 years of probation for Hanson.

In short, in May 2016, the State Attorney’s Office concluded that reducing Hanson’s sentence was appropriate to convict a murderer and keep Hanson in prison for three additional years plus probation without risking a new trial for Hanson. The hard reality of our criminal justice system is that sometimes prosecutors have to use the testimony of criminals to convict other criminals.

Mathew’s death is a senseless tragedy, and our office extends its deepest condolences to his family and friends. State Attorney Warren has spoken with Mathew’s family, and the Korattiyil family requests that the media respect its privacy during this time.