A Berryville man pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree murder in the beating and stabbing death of his autistic older brother.
Joseph Ian Santiago, 19, was sentenced to life in prison, said Tony Rogers, the Carroll County prosecutor. Santiago will be eligible for parole in 25 years.
Joseph Santiago was 17 when he killed his brother, Alex Santiago, 21, on Jan. 17, 2017.
Robert Keever called the Carroll County sheriff's office that day saying he found his son Alex Santiago "murdered in the living room of his residence" and his other son, Joseph Santiago, "in the bedroom watching television," according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Deputies arrived to find Alex Santiago "obviously deceased" with "extensive trauma to his head and a sword sticking out of his mid-section," according to the affidavit.
"It was a brutal scene," Rogers said.
A baseball bat covered with blood was found near the body.
Investigators interviewed Joseph Santiago, who "admitted killing his brother with the baseball bat and stabbing him with the sword," according to the affidavit.
Then Joseph Santiago took a shower, changed clothes and watched television, according to the court document.
Joseph Santiago also admitted to setting the family's mobile home on fire April 13, 2016.
"He stated that he had locked his brother in his room and then poured gasoline on the floor of his room and his parents' room and then set it on fire," according to the affidavit.
Joseph Santiago was initially charged with capital murder in his brother's death. He also was charged with attempted capital murder and arson in connection with the fire. Rogers said the charges from 2016 were dropped as part of a plea agreement with Santiago's attorney, Patrick Benca of Little Rock.
Rogers said a mental evaluation was done to determine Santiago's fitness to proceed to trial, and he was deemed fit. That examination took place Feb. 13.
"At the time of the examination, Mr. Santiago lacked a mental disease or defect," according to the forensic report from the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
Joseph Santiago had the capacity to understand the proceedings against him and assist his attorney in his own defense, according to the report.
Joseph Santiago told the examiner he never really connected with his family and he was first treated for anger issues when he was in the fourth grade.
The second prong in mental evaluations concerns culpability at the time a crime was committed.
"They didn't ask for an evaluation as to the ultimate culpable state," Rogers said.
The plea hearing was held Monday in Carroll County Circuit Court in Berryville before Judge Scott Jackson.
Metro on 06/26/2018