Greenfield man pleads no contest to fatally stabbing brother

A Greenfield man accused of stabbing his brother to death pleaded no contest Thursday to voluntary manslaughter. He also pleaded no contest to multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

Investigators said that on Oct. 21, 2018, 19-year-old Juan Cervantes and his brother were at their mother’s house, where the victim lived. They said that in the evening, Cervantes and the victim locked themselves in a bedroom. Investigators said the mother checked on them because she thought it was strange that the door was locked, but they told her they were just talking.

Police said that after checking on the brothers, their mother heard what sounded like a physical fight in the bedroom. Officers said the victim opened the bedroom door and their mother saw Cervantes hitting his brother in the head multiple times. She then tried to get herself in the middle, but was unsuccessful.

She left to call 911, and when she returned, she saw that the victim was stabbed several times in the legs and that Cervantes had left. The victim died of his injuries at the scene.

The District Attorney’s Office said the judge will sentence Cervantes to 16 years in prison in August.