Over 34 Years Later, Ex-Braintree Man to Face Murder Charge

A former Braintree man will head to court, over 34 years after allegedly murdering a neighbor.

Keith Butler, 57, of Palm Harbor, FL, will be arraigned on a single count of murder in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham at 2 p.m. today according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office.

“I applaud the District Attorney and the State Police detectives assigned to his office for continuing to pursue this and other older cases. The message should be clear that unsolved crimes committed in Norfolk County will not get a pass due to the passage of time,” Braintree Police Chief Russell Jenkins said in a statement.

On May 6, Butler was indicted by a Norfolk County grand jury for the murder of Francis X. Hussey, who was 41 at the time of his death. On Jan. 17, 1981, Hussey was found dead in his locked Liberty Street house. He was discovered on the floor of his kitchen, with obvious signs of head trauma. No murder weapon was ever recovered.

Hussey and Butler lived two doors apart for several years and were well known to each other. Six expensive oriental rugs were missing from the residence when authorities came to the scene. Those items were never recovered.

On May 8, Butler was arrested by authorities in Florida on a warrant for the murder and he returned to Massachusetts on May 29.

This will be the third time Butler will be in court for the murder. His two previous trials in April and December of 1983 resulted in hung juries. The case was withdrawn from the trial list in January, 1984.

The latest indictment comes on the heels of a recent review of old evidence by State Police Sergeant Brian Brooks. The use of new and updated forensic testing led to the arrest according to Norfolk D.A. Michael Morrisey.

“We are continually looking at older cases in the hope of bringing new techniques and new light to those cases,” Morrisey said in a statement. “His efforts, and the initial investigation by State and Braintree detectives at the time of the murder have led to this new indictment.”

State Police have located several witnesses from the original investigation and trials who are still available and cooperating with the current proceedings.