Man accused of fatally shooting brother in NE Albuquerque

Police have arrested a man for allegedly shooting and killing his brother after an argument in the Northeast Heights on Thursday evening.

Benjamin Chess, 55, faces an open count of murder and tampering with evidence in the death of his brother, 54-year-old Adam Chess. He was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Friday.

Police were dispatched to the 2800 block of Palo Verde NE around 7 p.m. after a neighbor called and reported that Adam Chess had been shot, according to a news release from Gilbert Gallegos, spokesperson for the Albuquerque Police Department.

The caller told officers that Adam Chess left his apartment and said his brother, Benjamin Chess, had shot him, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

"Officers arrived and located Adam Chess in front of the apartment," Gallegos said. "His brother, Benjamin, was lying next to him on the ground."

Police spoke with the 911 caller, who said he saw Chess leave the apartment shortly after the shooting with a trash bag and placed it in the trash can, the complaint states. 

Officers obtained a search warrant and found a bullet inside the trash bag, Gallegos said.

Police spoke with the brothers' aunt, who lived at the apartment complex, and she told officers the two fought with each other often, "both physically and verbally," according to the complaint. 

The woman told officers that all three were outside when she saw Adam Chess charge at Benjamin Chess, but she did not see a weapon in either man's hands, the complaint states. 

She told police she went inside before hearing a "loud bang" and shortly after, Benjamin Chess walked into the apartment and said he had shot his brother, according to the complaint. 

"She then saw Benjamin place a brown rifle into a laundry basket in the hallway," Gallegos said. "Investigators later located the rifle."

Police spoke with Benjamin Chess, who said his brother had a history of drinking and starting arguments, the complaint states. 

"Benjamin said his brother’s behavior was 'slowly killing us all,'" Gallegos said. 

Benjamin Chess told police his brother had returned to their apartment Thursday evening and began pounding on the door, according to the complaint.

"(Benjamin) described being emotionally overwhelmed by Adam pounding on the front door," the complaint states. "The next thing (Benjamin) knew, he was marching down the hallway and had shot Adam with the rifle." 

The man told police he did not remember removing the rifle from the case or loading it, Gallegos said. He also told police he did not remember throwing the bullet casing into the trash can.

Benjamin Chess told police he did not remember his brother holding any weapon and said his brother never owned weapons, according to the complaint. He told police he was afraid of his brother because he kept pounding on the door. 

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.