LOCAL : Brothers Expected to Face Murder Counts in Huntington Beach Death
Huntington Beach police are expected to seek murder charges against two brothers who are suspects in the beating of their cousin who died of injuries Monday night.
Francisco Saldivar, 34, and his brother Pedro, 29, were booked on suspicion of murder after their cousin, Mario Guzman, 39, died at Huntington Humana Hospital. The two allegedly used their hands and feet to beat Guzman, following an argument at 5 a.m. on Sunday, said Huntington Beach Police Sgt. Bill Peterson.
Paramedics were summoned nearly five hours after the fight, and Guzman was treated in the hospital’s intensive care unit. When his condition worsened Monday afternoon, hospital officials called Huntington Beach police.
Guzman died in the operating room, before surgery could begin for his chest and abdominal injuries, according to hospital spokeswoman Joyce Mulligan.
Police do not know what sparked the fight, and several witnesses--other relatives who shared the apartment with the brothers and Guzman--refused to say, according to Peterson.
An autopsy to determine the cause of death was ordered.
Francisco and Pedro Saldivar, both employed as laborers, were being held in the Huntington Beach city jail.
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