Ex-con sentenced 31 years to life in prison for killing brother

CHULA VISTA (KUSI) – The ex-con who used a samurai sword and a barbecue fork to kill his younger brother during a fight at their Chula Vista home, was sentenced to 31 years to life in prison.

37-year-old Alberto Gonzalez Figueroa was convicted of first-degree murder and torture charges in the death of his 24-year-old brother Mario Figueroa. The elder Figueroa, who used a samurai sword and a barbecue fork in the killing, faces 29 years to life in prison.

According to police, the brothers’ grandfather came to their home to find them fighting early in the morning. While the siblings had a history of fighting with one another, a cause for the most recent scuffle was not known.

After trying with no avail to break up the fight, their grandfather ran to a nearby home to call the police. Mario Figueroa was found wounded on the floor upon arrival by the paramedics, and he later died at the scene.