William Rodriguez, charged in slaying of Worcester mother and daughter, being returned to Mass.

WORCESTER — The suspect in the slaying of a mother and daughter in a Webster Square apartment, arrested in New York City days after the killings, is expected to be arraigned in a Worcester courtroom this week.

William Rodriguez, 59, waived extradition in New York and was ordered to return to Massachusetts, where he faces charges that include armed assault to murder.

A spokeswoman for the Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. initially said Rodriguez would be arraigned Thursday, but the arraignment is now scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Rodriguez had been held in New York since Aug. 29., five days after police were called to Webster Square Towers for a report of two people who had been stabbed. Sergia Acosta, 76, who lived in the ninth-floor apartment, and her daughter Ana Maria Martinez, 58, were found dead .

Martinez was her mother's caretaker.

"Sergia and Ana were not only mother and daughter, but they were best friends and were inseparable," reads the obituary for the women.

Obituary Sergia Acosta and Ana Maria Martinez

Rodriguez and Martinez had once dated, according to authorities.

An intense search for Rodriguez began soon after the discovery of the bodies. He was known to police.

In 2004, he stabbed his wife to death at the Worcester hotel where they both worked. He eventually pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter. He was sentenced to 15 to 20 years; he was released on parole in 2019.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: William Rodriguez, charged in slaying of Worcester mother and daughter, being returned to Mass.