Brother slaying in Northeast Philly basement was drug-fueled: attorney

Paulo Figueiredo, 34, is charged with murdering his brother. Credit: PPD

A Northeast Philadelphia man accused of killing his brother was held for trial after a preliminary hearing this morning, but the top charges were dropped on the grounds that he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the slaying.

First degree murder charges for Paulo Figueiredo, 35, were dropped after attorney Fortunato Perri, Jr. argued that a statement Figueiredo made to police stating that he was under the influence of the drug ecstasy when he killed his brother blocked the possibility of the “intent” element necessary to first-degree murder charges.

Arthur Figueiredo, 36, was found dead after police responded at 12:39 a.m. on Dec. 1 to a call for medical help on the 2100 block of Princeton Avenue.

There they reportedly discovered Arthur Figueiredo’s body wrapped in bed linens and packing material, lying next to a bed in the basement of a home.

Medics pronounced Figueiredo dead at 1:41 a.m. The cause of death was blunt force trauma.

The victim lived at the house.

“This is obviously a very sad and tragic event for the whole family,” Perri said. “He [Figueiredo] is extremely remorseful.”

Figueiredo will be formally arraigned on third-degree murder charges on Feb. 25.

____________________

Follow Sam Newhouse on Twitter: @scnewhouse

Follow Metro Philadelphia on Twitter: @metrophilly

Follow Metro Philadelphia on Facebook: Metro Philadelphia