James Kelly
A Northeast man is charged with murder for shooting his stepfather to death inside their home on Sunday, Oct. 5.
Police questioned James Kelly, 23, of the 3100 block of Holly Road, soon after officers found 41-year-old Rafael Santiago lying in a pool of blood in a second-floor bedroom of the family’s home. The initial police radio call went out just before 1 p.m. as a “hospital case,” but not a shooting. Investigators were unable to determine at the time that Santiago had been shot.
On Oct. 6, the city’s medical examiner determined that Santiago had been shot twice in the face. Police arrested Kelly that day and allegedly recovered a .22-caliber rifle along with a shotgun from the home.
Police believe that a domestic dispute prompted the slaying, but have not disclosed the cause of the quarrel.
Kelly is charged with murder and possessing an instrument of crime. He is held at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility without bail pending a preliminary hearing on Oct. 22. ••
