[Update, Thursday, 1:39 p.m.]: Arturo Herrera, who was arrested on the Fourth of July on suspicion of killing his 28-year-old brother Enrique Herrera, was charged Thursday with one count of murder by the District Attorney’s Office.

Arraigned yesterday in Santa Maria Superior Court Judge Patricia Kelly’s courtroom, Arturo is being represented by public defender Lori Pedego. Deputy District Attorney Brandon Jebens is prosecuting Arturo, whose arraignment was continued to Tuesday, July 12. He is still being held in County Jail on $1 million-bail.

[Original Story]: Police arrested a man on the Fourth of July for allegedly murdering his brother at a home on the 4300 block of Lompoc’s West Ocean Avenue, where the two reportedly lived with their mother. Arturo Herrera, 30, called 9-1-1 that day to report his younger brother had been assaulted.

Around 1:15 p.m. Monday, Sheriff’s deputies received a call from Arturo, who told deputies he’d discovered his brother had been assaulted, said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kelly Hoover in a press release. According to Hoover, the brothers’ mother was not present at the time of the assault.

Arturo Herrera

The deputies found the victim, Enrique Herrera, inside his own bedroom. According to Hoover, they determined Enrique, 28, had died from a fatal injury due to an assault, on which they did not elaborate.

Investigators — including personnel from the Coroner’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Department of Justice — deemed Enrique’s death a homicide. The elder Herrera was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on multiple murder charges, which authorities didn’t further specify. His bail was set at $1 million.

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