A man suspected of killing and dismembering his roommate in Indiana six years ago was arrested Thursday in Cambridge, Massachusetts, police said.
John Hallett, 54, was taken into custody at an apartment on Chester Street by federal, state and local law enforcement, according to Massachusetts State Police.
Last year, investigators in Michigan City, Indiana, identified him as the man who killed his roommate in 2017, then disemboweled the body and got rid of the remains in public trash cans, officials said. An arrest warrant for murder was issued for Hallett after a cadaver dog found human remains in the basement of the home Hallett and the slain man lived.
He was tracked to Cambridge, and a local detective determined he was staying on Chester Street on Thursday, according to state police. Cambridge Police and officers with the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and U.S. Marhsals took him into custody there.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Hallett was booked by police as a fugitive from justice ahead of a court appearance for his extradition to Indiana to face the murder charge, police said. It wasn't immediately clear if Hallett had an attorney who could speak to his arrest.
Michigan City police on Friday identified the man who was killed as Paul Gonzales, 64, saying he was believed to have been killed in November 2017 at a home on West 9th Street. Officials said that a judge had found probable cause for Hallett to be charged with murder and abuse of corpse at a hearing on Aug. 8.
Neighbors were shocked to learn that a murder suspect had been living in their quiet part of Cambridge.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
Alex Majetich, who lives down the street, saw about 20 men in bulletproof vests swarm the apartment building Thursday morning as she was headed to the gym.
"I just assumed they were, like, shooting a movie or something because this stuff doesn't happen around here," she said.
