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Extradition hearing for Florida teen accused in grandmother's murder moved to Friday

Michael Mroziak, WBFO

He appeared briefly in a downtown Buffalo courtroom Wednesday morning, standing stoically and answering "yes, sir" to one question asked by Judge Russell Buscaglia. But the extradition hearing for 15-year-old Logan Mott, now accused in Florida of murdering his grandmother, has been pushed back to Friday.

Mott was arrested in Buffalo last weekend after investigators say he made an illegal U-turn while trying to cross the Peace Bridge into Canada. He was originally scheduled to appear in Erie County Family Court on Monday to face auto theft charges as a juvenile.

On Tuesday, a judge in Florida issued a warrant making Mott a suspect in the murder of his grandmother, who was found in a shallow grave, shot once and stabbed multiple times. 

Mott appeared before Judge Buscaglia Wednesday morning, at which time his attorney requested and was granted 48 hours to further discuss options with his teenage client.

"We are talking about a 15-year-old boy being charged with the most serious charge in the penal code," said Dominic Saraceno, who is representing Mott. "We have to do our due diligence and follow the proper procedures."

Authorities say Mott was caught using his grandmother's car when attempting to enter Canada. Three firearms and a bloody knife were reportedly recovered from that vehicle. 

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn suggested the defense is merely prolonging the inevitable by delaying the extradition hearing. If they continue to delay, he explained, Governor Cuomo will forward the appropriate paperwork to Florida's governor for a signature. 

"They can either waive the hearing and consent to go back to Florida or they can fight it," Flynn said. "If that happens, the governor's office will prepare the paperwork, send it to the governor of Florida, and the governor of Florida will sign a warrant and get the young man."

Credit Michael Mroziak, WBFO
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn speaks following Wednesday morning court proceedings in Logan Mott's case. The Florida teen's extradition hearing was adjourned until Friday morning.

The murder case itself was not discussed in the courtroom. Following Wednesday morning's proceedings, Saraceno was asked how the delay in Mott's extradition hearing may affect his case.

"I don't think it does anything to his case. It doesn't prove anything," Saraceno said. "There's no motive. There's no confession. There could be dozens of alternative theories on what happened."

Mott's mother, who lives in Missouri, was present in the courtroom but did not speak.

The teen suspect lives with his father in Florida and was, according to authorities, staying with his grandmother while the father was away on a vacation. 

Mott remains held without bail.

Michael Mroziak is an experienced, award-winning reporter whose career includes work in broadcast and print media. When he joined the WBFO news staff in April 2015, it was a return to both the radio station and to Horizons Plaza.