Man charged with a crime after family argument turns fatal

St. Tammany police say that a Louisiana man has been arrested and charged in the shooting death of his older brother. According to reports, the man was at his 23-year-old brother’s St. Tammany Parish home trying to help him recover from a drug addiction. When the older brother found out that his sibling had been discussing his addiction with his wife via text, he was said to have begun trashing his home and woke up his younger brother. He also began loading a shotgun, which may have prompted the younger man to fatally shoot the victim with a handgun he had brought into the home. The younger brother now standscharged with a crime.

The younger brother was arrested at the scene and charged with a crime of second-degree murder. Police suggest there may have been substances, including marijuana and bath salts, involved in the crime, though further information on that claim was not detailed. They are awaiting the report of the County Coroner to confirm or refute those suspicions.

Police have indicated, without explaining their reasoning, that they don’t believe this was an act of self-defense. He now faces life in prison if convicted.

When someone is charged with a crime in Louisiana, they are entitled to review all of the evidence collected against them and confront all witnesses presented against them in court. Facing murder charges is very scary. If convicted, a person’s life will change forever. However, it’s important to remember that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Source:NOLA.com, “Man jailed for allegedly killing his brother near Slidell,” Ramon Antonio Vargas, March 21, 2012