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Inset: Benjamin Chess (Albuquerque Police Department). Background: The area in Albuquerque, N.M., where Benjamin Chess allegedly killed his brother at their aunt’s house (Google Maps).
A man from New Mexico has been arrested after allegedly shooting his brother with a rifle and then lying down beside him until law enforcement arrived, according to police reports. The suspect reportedly expressed that his brother was considered the “black sheep” of the family due to a history of frequent altercations and daily alcohol consumption, which he claimed was negatively affecting the family.
Benjamin Chess, aged 55, is now facing charges of murder and evidence tampering following the fatal shooting of his 54-year-old brother, Adam Chess, at their home in Albuquerque. This information was detailed in a press release from the Albuquerque Police Department, which was shared with Law&Crime.
The incident came to light when a neighbor contacted the police after witnessing Adam Chess exit the apartment around 7 p.m. on Thursday, claiming that his brother had shot him, according to the authorities.
“Upon arrival, officers discovered Adam Chess outside the apartment,” stated the police report. “Benjamin Chess was found lying on the ground beside him.”
The neighbor who alerted 911 subsequently reported seeing Benjamin Chess exit the apartment carrying a trash bag, which he deposited in a nearby bin. During a search warrant operation, investigators reportedly found a bullet casing inside the bag.
A woman who lives at the apartment, identified by cops as the brothers’ aunt, allegedly told detectives that Benjamin Chess was staying with her. She said Adam Chess would come over sometimes to stay and when he did, the brothers “often fought with each other,” according to the police press release.
“The aunt told officers she heard the two men arguing on Thursday and saw Adam ‘charge’ at Benjamin, but did not see either of them with any weapons,” the release explains. “She went inside and reported hearing a ‘loud bang.’ She then saw Benjamin place a brown rifle into a laundry basket in the hallway.”
Police say Benjamin Chess told detectives his brother “had a history of drinking alcohol on a daily basis and starting confrontations.” He claimed this behavior was “slowly killing us all,” in reference to their family, according to police.
“Benjamin Chess said he remembered his brother returning to the apartment on Thursday evening and pounding on the door,” the police release says. “He said he did not remember what happened after that. He only recalled marching down the hallway and he had shot his brother with a rifle.”
Benjamin Chess allegedly claimed he could not remember removing the rifle from a case in his bedroom or loading the rifle with ammunition. “He only remembers being overwhelmed by the pounding on the door,” according to police.
Benjamin Chess was booked into the Metro Detention Center. Prosecutors have asked that he be held without bond, according to online court records. He does not have a future court date listed yet.