A man has been charged with beating another man to death with a hammer early Monday in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side.
Julio Hernandez, 40, told investigators he struck 40-year-old Carmelo Gallegos in the head with a hammer multiple times about 12:55 a.m. inside a home in the 3100 block of West 40th Street, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Responding officers recovered a weapon at the scene and took Hernandez into custody.
An autopsy Monday found Gallegos died from multiple injuries in an assault and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. He lived in the same block.
Hernandez, who lives in Brighton Park, was charged with first-degree murder, police said.
He was denied bail during a court appearance Monday, according to court records. His next appearance was scheduled for July 9.