Suspect in Stabbing Death Returned to Butte

A 34-year-old man suspected in a 2011 Butte stabbing death has been sent back to Montana after his arrest in Washington state.

Jeremy Mata was arrested on Feb. 7 in Mount Vernon. The Butte jail roster shows that he was returned to the southwestern Montana city on Saturday.

Mata is suspected in the stabbing death of 62-year-old Robert Bajzer, who was found dead on a Butte sidewalk on Feb. 13, 2011.

Authorities say the state crime lab found DNA evidence from both the victim and Mata on a knife, jacket and baseball cap found in the area.

The Montana Standard reports that Mata is scheduled to make an initial appearance on a deliberate homicide charge in Butte Justice Court Monday afternoon.

He is being held on $250,000 bond.