A Minnesota resident, Cesar Jeff Cervantes-Montoya, 27, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of his 68-year-old landlord, referred to as “BRB” in court documents. Cervantes-Montoya pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree intentional murder following a fatal altercation that occurred on January 5, 2022, in Elko New Market, a town located 30 miles south of Minneapolis.
The incident unfolded after Cervantes-Montoya dialed 911, confessing to authorities that he had assaulted his neighbor with a hammer. Upon arrival at the Main Street residence, law enforcement officers found a lifeless body with a bloodied head, lying face down at the bottom of the basement stairs. The victim showed no signs of life, and a hammer was discovered on a nearby coffee table.
During questioning, Cervantes-Montoya, who had been living in the basement of the residence with his girlfriend for three years, revealed that the fatal confrontation was sparked by ongoing disputes with his landlord. He claimed that the victim had been verbally abusive, made racial comments, and had been physically abusive towards his dog.
According to court documents, the situation escalated when Cervantes-Montoya decided to confront his neighbor about the alleged animal abuse. A physical altercation ensued, during which Cervantes-Montoya grabbed a hammer and struck his neighbor multiple times in the face and head. He admitted to authorities that he had intended to “knock him out and hit him hard,” but did not necessarily expect his actions to result in death.
Following the incident, Cervantes-Montoya cleaned the hammer in the sink and expressed no remorse for his actions, stating that he believed his actions were justified due to the victim’s behavior, which included threats, invasion of his personal space, and damage to his vehicle.
An autopsy revealed that the victim died from ligature strangulation and multiple blunt force trauma to the head. The medical examiner also noted ligature marks and bruising on the victim’s neck, a broken hyoid bone, broken thyroid cartilage, multiple broken ribs, and defensive wounds on his right wrist and left forearm.