PITTSFIELD, Mass — A man found dismembered in a barrel in Greenfield on Monday has been identified as Pittsfield resident.
The Northwestern District Attorney's Office identified victim as Christopher Hairston, 35, and subsequently arrested a suspect, Taaniel Herberger-Brown, 42, at Albany (N.Y.) International Airport on Tuesday.
He was detained overnight and Massachusetts State Police obtained an arrest warrant on single count of murder Tuesday morning. It is unclear when Herberger-Brown will be returned to Massachusetts for arraignment on the murder charge.
According to the Greenfield Recorder, the suspect was arrested on a murder charge after investigators discovered Hairston's hand and part of a human torso at Herberger-Brown's former apartment, located at 92 Chapman St.
According to a report written by State Police Trooper Blakeley Pottinger, the body was discovered after Greenfield Police received reports of a foul odor emitting from the apartment along with a black hatchet to the left of the barrel, the news outlet said.
The outlet reported that during the investigation, Herberger-Brown allegedly told investigators that the victim's "heart stopped" toward the end of a physical altercation with the victim after he had broken into his apartment and that he believed the victim to be on drugs.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death.