The man accused of robbing a Valrico bank, carjacking a man and murdering him, admitted he committed the crimes to detectives, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.
James Hanson Jr., 39, is charged with premeditated first-degree murder, carjacking, grand theft of a motor vehicle, kidnapping, resisting an officer with violence and robbery.
On Tuesday night, authorities booked Hanson into the Orient Road Jail in Tampa.
Mathew Korattiyil was outside CenterState Bank on Tuesday in Valrico when deputies say Hanson robbed it, carjacked Korattiyil at gunpoint, eventually killed him and dumped the body at a nearby church.
Korattiyil was 68 years old, a father of three and a grandfather.
According to court documents, Hanson has a criminal history and was even sentenced to life in prison at one point. Those court documents say he got a life sentence in 2003 for armed robbery.
He wound up making a deal with the state and accepted a 15-year sentence, which set him up for a July 2 release.
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