Brother accused of killing child had ‘blank stare’ as he held bloody knife, police say
On Saturday night, 7-year-old Jacob Brito was in his family’s living room with his older brother Isidro Brito Bruno at their Haltom City home.
Other family members were in their bedrooms when Jacob Brito began screaming.
His sister ran to the living room, where she found her father, mother and another brother trying to stop Jacob Brito’s bleeding from multiple stab wounds in his chest and back, according to a warrant.
The sister then saw Isidro Brito holding a knife, with blood on his wrist, not saying anything.
Isidro Brito, 20, had a “blank stare,” the sister told Haltom City detectives, according to the capital murder warrant released Monday by Haltom City police.
Jacob Brito was rushed to a hospital, but he later died.
The arrest warrant provided no information on a motive for the attack.
But Haltom City police said on Monday that police had been to the Brito home at least three times since May 2019 for mental health issues with Isidro Brito.
On Saturday night, Isidro Brito fled the house after the attack on his brother, but he was taken into custody about two blocks from his home, according to the warrant.
Isidro Brito was found to have self-inflicted cut and stab wounds to his arms and stomach, Haltom City police said. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated, and then taken to the Tarrant County Jail.
The 20-year-old faces a charge of capital murder in the stabbing death of his 7-year-old brother, Haltom City police said.
Isidro Brito remained in the Tarrant County Jail on Monday in lieu of $250,000 bond.
Jesus Ochoa, 23, who is married to Jacob’s older sister, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Sunday the couple thought of Jacob as a son. They helped raise him and took care of him since he was a baby.
“Jacob was a joyful person, very caring. He loved to put other people in front of him,” Ochoa said. “He was very giving to anybody.”
Isidro Brito was scheduled to appear for a virtual hearing on Sept. 29 on a previous assault with bodily injury charge involving a family member, according to Tarrant County criminal court records. The case was in County Criminal Court No. 5.
The previous assault occurred on May 18, 2019, at the family’s Haltom City home, according to authorities. The victim in that attack was Isidro Brito’s father.
The family is asking for donations to help pay for Jacob’s funeral. As of Monday, they had raised more than $9,500 through a GoFundMe account.
