21-year-old David Brewington made his first court appearance Tuesday, but he postponed entering a plea.
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Clovis police say the defendant attacked his brother, 23-year-old Elijah, last Wednesday night at the apartment they shared off of Peach and Gettysburg.
"There was some sort of argument between the two brothers and one produced a knife and then stabbed the other one," said Clovis Police Lt. Jim Koch.
Investigators say David stabbed Elijah just once, but it was a deadly blow.
Prosecutors also charged him with child endangerment because his infant daughter was in a crib nearby.
Police say two other adult family members were also in the apartment.
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Brewington doesn't have a defense attorney yet, but when he gets one, legal analyst Tony Capozzi says they'll have to dig deeper into the police report.
"What's important in this case is what are the witnesses going to say? What did they see? Was this a mutual combat?" explained Capozzi.
Clovis police say they've had to send officers to previous incidents involving the same family.
Court records show David has a prior felony conviction for illegal gun possession.
Elijah had a domestic violence conviction and a drug charge, both felonies.
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Capozzi says their criminal history could show a pattern, but it doesn't matter as much as the events inside the apartment last week.
"What's in the suspect's mind when he stabs his brother? Was he trying to protect himself? Was he provoked? Was he afraid for his own life?" Capozzi said.
Brewington is scheduled to be back in court in two weeks.
He faces 25 years to life in prison if he's convicted of first-degree murder.