A Florida man killed his half-brother on Christmas Day as the victim was looking for his cell phone during a visit in Illinois, prosecutors said Thursday.
Kendall Yarborough, 28, a Tampa-area resident, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder after the deadly shooting that unfolded at a home in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said in a statement.
“On Christmas day, James Watson lost his life after his half-brother, Kendall Yarborough allegedly shot him in the abdomen while James was looking for his cell phone,” Berlin said. “This senseless act of violence will not go unpunished.”
DuPage County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a home just after 3:05 p.m. and found Watson had been shot. He was taken to a hospital where he later died.
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Kendall Yarborough, 28, is charged with the shooting death of his half-brother, James Watson, on Christmas Day. (DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office)
Investigators said Watson was downstairs in the home looking for his cell phone. He became upset when he couldn’t find it and slammed a card table on the floor.
At the time, Yarborough, who was upstairs, shot down toward Watson and hit him in the stomach, authorities said. Responding deputies found a 9mm Sig Sauer P-365X handgun and a shell casing, prosecutors said. Family members called 911 and rendered aid to Watson.
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“It is horrible that a tragedy occurred on Christmas,” said DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick. “It goes to show that domestic violence can occur in any home and that’s why we take domestic-related incidents seriously at the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.”
Yarborough was arrested at the scene and appeared in court Tuesday morning. The court granted his request to continue his pre-trial detention hearing until Wednesday.