A Florida man has ended up in custody after he purportedly shot and killed his half-brother on Christmas while searching for his cellphone, as stated in a press release from DuPage County in Illinois.
Kendall Yarborough, 28, faces two charges of first-degree murder following the incident that occurred at a residence in Naperville, Illinois, on Monday afternoon. Naperville is situated within the Chicago metro area.
Upon deputies’ arrival at the residence, they discovered a man – identified as James Watson – with a gunshot wound to his abdomen, according to a press release from DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick.
An inquiry revealed that Watson was apparently downstairs and grew agitated when he couldn’t locate his cellphone, as per authorities.
He slammed a card table onto the floor, and at that moment, Yarborough, who was upstairs, allegedly fired shots downward toward Watson, hitting him in the abdomen.
“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 cellphone,” Berlin stated in a press release.”
There will be consequences for this stupid act of violence. I extend my deepest sympathies to James’ family and friends, and I hope they find strength in their grief over the loss of a family member and in coming to grips with the suspicion that another family member killed him.
I appreciate the effort that DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick and his staff have done on this tragic case. I also like to express my gratitude to Assistant State’s Attorneys Michael Paup, Helen Kapas, and Robert Willis for their efforts in bringing charges against Mr. Yarborough.”
Family members quickly dialed 911 and provided assistance to Watson. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he eventually passed away.
At the residence, law enforcement discovered a 9mm handgun along with a single expended 9mm bullet casing.
Mendrick stated in a press release, “It is horrible that a tragedy occurred on Christmas. 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. Thank you for all the hard work from first responders and State’s Attorney Bob Berlin’s office for handling this serious crime during their Christmas holiday.”
Yarborough was arrested and made his initial court appearance on Tuesday morning. The court approved Yarborough’s request to postpone his pre-trial detention hearing until Wednesday afternoon.
