UPDATE: Latest twists and updates in Anthony Comello case, the alleged mob boss killer from Staten Island

Anthony Comello, the 24-year-old arrested in New Jersey Saturday for allegedly gunning down a mob boss in Staten Island last week, will return to New York to face the murder charge against him.

Comello waived his extradition rights Monday during a hearing in Ocean County Superior Court before Judge Wendel Daniels. He is expected to appear in court in Staten Island next Monday, March 25.

“He willingly, knowingly and voluntarily returns to New York to face these charges,” Brian Neary, a New Jersey attorney representing Comello Monday, told reporters after the hearing. He described Comello, who said only “yes, sir” during the hearing, as “resolute.”

In the courtroom, Comello held his open handcuffed palm up to reporters, showing a symbol and several words scrawled in pen. “MAGA forever” and “united we stand” were some of the phrases he had printed, while others were not entirely legible.

A court officer approached Comello and said something inaudible to him, leading Comello to put his palm down.

Neary referred all other requests for comment on the facts of the case to New York lawyer Robert Gottlieb, Comello’s lead counsel. He did not answer questions regarding whether or not Comello has maintained his innocence, and said he had not seen anything written on his client’s hand.

Anthony Comello displays writing on his hand during his extradition hearing in Toms River, N.J., Monday, March 18, 2019. (Seth Wenig | Associated Press)AP

Gottlieb issued a statement Monday afternoon sayin Comello has received threats and is in protective custody. “As I previously stated, Mr, Comello’s family and friends simply can not believe what they have been told. There is something very wrong here and we will get to the truth here as quickly as possible.”

Police arrested Comello, who lives in Staten Island, in at a relative’s house in Brick. He is charged with murder of 53-year-old Francesco Cali in New York, and was lodged in Ocean County Jail on a charge of being a fugitive from justice in New Jersey prior to Monday’s proceedings.

Cali, who went by “Frank” or “Franky Boy,” was a Gambino family mob boss. He is the first New York City crime boss to be killed in more than 30 years, dying Wednesday after he was shot 10 times with a 9-millimeter handgun outside of his home in the Hilltop Terrace section of Staten Island.

No motive for the killing was addressed Monday, but preliminary information suggests it might not be related to organized crime, according to SILive.com. The report, citing sources, said Comello may have been denied after pursuing a relationship with a female member of Cali’s family.

The Gambino family was once among the most powerful criminal organizations in the U.S., but federal prosecutions jailed top leaders during the 1980s and 1990s, shrinking its power. Cali never faced a criminal charge as a mob boss, but authorities have referred to him as the underboss of the Gambino organization.

Cali did have one mob-related conviction, doing 16 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to taking part in an extortion conspiracy to build a NASCAR track. The attempt failed. He was released from prison in 2009.

Comello has no criminal history, but has had runs in with the New York Police Department, mostly for traffic violations.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Jeff Goldman contributed to this report.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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