CHULA VISTA - An 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 Monday to 31 years to life in state prison.
Alberto Gonzalez Figueroa Jr., 37, was convicted last month of first-degree murder and torture in the April 2, 2013, death of 24-year-old Mario Figueroa.
Chula Vista police said the siblings' grandfather found them scuffling in a bedroom at their condominium in the 2000 block of Lakeridge Circle about 7:15 a.m. The grandfather tried to break up the fight before hurrying to a nearby home for help.
A neighbor called 911 and responding officers and paramedics found the younger Figueroa on the floor of the bedroom. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The defendant, who has been to prison twice before, was arrested about 45 minutes later near Prospect Street and Sweetwater Road.
Deputy District Attorney Ryan Karkenny told the jury that three months before the murder, the defendant was taken away from the residence after fighting with his brother.
The victim had called police, telling officers that the defendant had come drunk and that he couldn't control him anymore, the prosecutor said.
