Jackson County murder suspect waives extradition

The man accused of killing a South Mississippi man and putting his body inside a freezer waived extradition in Portland, Oregon today, but it will be days before he is back on the Coast.
According to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell, 40-year-old Thomas Elliot Stafford will be back in Portland court Thursday for probation violation hearing.
Sheriff Ezell says last September, Stafford pleaded no contest and was given 12 months’ probation for meth possession, but on October 5th an arrest warrant was issued for Stafford violating that probation.
Stafford is charged with the capital murder of 65-year-old Jerry Floyd Kirkendall. Stafford is accused of strangling Kirkendall to death and placing him inside the freezer of the Latimer home he was renting one week ago.
U.S. Marshals arrested Stafford outside of a home in Portland Saturday without incident. U.S. Marshalls say Stafford took a bus from Biloxi to Oregon.