A family member was arrested Tuesday in San Diego's El Cajon area in connection with the brutal beating death of an 84-year-old grandfather in Glendale, Calif., police said.
James Adrian Sanchez, 22, was taken into custody for the slaying of Ruben Sanchez, according to the Glendale Police Department.
Ruben Sanchez was found severely beaten Monday morning in his home in the 1800 block of Glenoaks Boulevard (map).
A neighboring family heard loud noises coming from Sanchez's first-floor corner apartment. When they went to check on their neighbor, they found what police described as a "badly beaten and bloody" victim.
Sanchez was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Initially, detectives believed the 84-year-old grandfather and widower may have been a victim of a violent home invasion robbery. A friend of the victim told NBC4 that Sanchez had been attacked a few weeks ago when someone tried to rob him.
Further investigation led detectives to a family member found in El Cajon, about 140 miles south of the crime scene, police said. Authorities did not immediately say how the suspect and the victim are related.
A motive for the attack has not been released.
James Adrian Sanchez has been booked into Glendale City Jail for murder. No bail has been set. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
Anyone with information in the case is asked to call detectives at 818-548-3987.
