Santa Cruz County man allegedly kills brother

A 26-year-old Watsonville resident died after being stabbed Friday morning at his home, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

WATSONVILLE — A 26-year-old Watsonville resident died after being stabbed Friday morning at his home, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. A suspect is in custody and will be charged with murder, officials said.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a disturbance at about 2 a.m. Friday at a home in the 1400 block of Green Valley Road in Watsonville. The victim, Christopher Keeler, was found inside the home suffering from a stab wound. He was brought to a trauma center in Monterey County where he later died, according to Ashley Keehn, spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office.

At the scene, deputies arrested the victim’s brother 28-year-old Joseph Keeler, also a resident at the Green Valley Road home. He is in custody and held on $750,000 bail, officials said.

The brothers lived together and were in some type of dispute during the alleged stabbing, but the exact motive is still under investigation, according to Keehn. Deputies recovered a knife at the scene with a blade about 5-6 inches long, she said. Officials are determining if the knife was the weapon used in the stabbing, Keehn said.

The investigation is ongoing. To report information about the case, call 831-454-7635.