An argument between siblings over a lost cell phone is what investigators believe led to a physical confrontation and a man stabbing his younger brother Wednesday evening.
Manuel Garcia Lilly, 33, is charged with one count each of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and tampering with evidence.
Shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, Las Cruces Police were called to 2215 S. Espina Street and what was initially described as an affray with weapons.
Officers arrived to find a 25-year-old man with what appeared to be two stab wounds to his upper torso. The man was airlifted to University Medical Center of El Paso with injuries that are believed to be non-life-threatening.
Las Cruces Police investigators learned that Manuel Garcia Lilly and his 25-year-old brother were at their mother’s home when they began arguing over a lost cell phone. The argument apparently escalated and the two brothers, and other family members, went outside. The argument between the brothers is believed to have escalated into a brawl which resulted in the 25-year-old receiving two stab wounds to his torso.
After the fight, Manuel Garcia Lilly is suspected of running east from the area. He is suspected of dropping the knife in the bed of a nearby pickup truck before making his way to the 2100 block of south Solano Drive where he was located by police.
Manuel Garcia Lilly was taken into custody without further incident. He was subsequently arrested and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where he is being held without bond.
Information from Las Cruces Police