GREENFIELD — In the weeks ahead, Greenfield murder suspect Taaniel Herberger-Brown will be brought back to Massachusetts to stand trial for the slaying of 35-year-old Christopher Hairston of Pittsfield.

Albany County Court Judge William Little ruled in favor of Herberger-Brown’s extradition from New York on Friday morning after Herberger-Brown waived his right to an extradition hearing.

The defendant’s initial extradition hearing, originally scheduled for May 31, was continued until Friday, June 28, as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had not yet approved a governor’s warrant for extradition until June 13.

Northwestern First Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne said Herberger-Brown will likely be brought back to Massachusetts in mid-July. At that time, Gagne said Herberger-Brown will be in the custody of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department until his arraignment at the Franklin County Justice Center. He said no firm arraignment dates have been set yet.

“We’re glad to hear that we’re closer to Mr. Herberger-Brown’s day in court,” Gagne said.

Herberger-Brown, 42, was arrested on a murder charge at Albany International Airport on April 23 after reports of a foul odor brought police to his former apartment at 92 Chapman St. earlier that day. Upon arrival, Greenfield Police Officer Brent Griffin discovered a decomposing body, later identified as Hairston.

While being investigated by Greenfield Police and Massachusetts State Police, Herberger-Brown allegedly told officers that a man, who he believed to be on drugs, had broken into his apartment and engaged in a physical altercation with him. Toward the end of the altercation, Herberger-Brown told police that the victim’s “heart stopped.”

Herberger-Brown, a Northampton High School Class of 1999 graduate, four-year honor roll student and U.S. Navy veteran, has had earlier brushes with the law, such as an incident in February 2008, when he was arrested on kidnapping and assault charges in Northampton for allegedly “keeping his girlfriend against her will in a hotel bathroom while holding a broken ceramic dish to her neck,” according to a Daily Hampshire Gazette report.

Between 2018 and 2020, the defendant had been arrested for a number of offenses, including breaking and entering, assault and battery, and disorderly conduct. After facing misdemeanor breaking and entering charges in 2020, he was ordered to take medication and continue his mental health treatment as terms of his probation.

Herberger-Brown also was involved in community service locally and was featured in a 2021 Washington Post article for his volunteer work at Stone Soup Cafe in Greenfield. Stone Soup Cafe Executive Director and Chef Kirsten Levitt previously said Herberger-Brown was a “respected and cared-for member of [the] community” at the time the Washington Post article was written. She said Herberger-Brown would volunteer at Stone Soup Cafe almost every week.

Gagne previously said the Northwestern DA’s office has been working around the clock to gather evidence in Herberger-Brown’s case.

“The investigation has remained very active and ongoing,” Gagne said Friday. “The lead investigator and myself have been working on this case pretty much every day since [Herberger-Brown’s arrest]. We’re interviewing additional witnesses and we’re gathering additional evidence. I would say things are proceeding very well.”

Nicholas Horgan, Herberger-Brown’s defense attorney, declined to comment on his client’s case when reached on Friday.

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.