Plymouth man accused of beating brother to death with baseball bat: Charges

PLYMOUTH, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 47-year-old man has been charged with murder for allegedly beating his younger brother to death with a baseball bat at their home in Plymouth.

Eric Christopher Spanier, 47, was charged in Hennepin County court Friday with intentional second-degree murder in the death of his younger brother, who Plymouth police said was killed during an assault early Thursday morning.

According to court records, Spanier called 911 around 4:24 a.m. and reported he had beaten his brother with a baseball bat at their home on the 400 block of Saratoga Lane. Upon arrival, police said they found Spanier standing at the end of the driveway shirtless and covered in blood. 

Spanier allegedly told police his brother was unconscious in the garage and he had beaten him with a bat that broke during the attack, charges explained. Officers found the victim on the garage floor next to a cot with bloody bedding and a "bloody broken barrel end of a wooden baseball bat" beside him. The broken bat handle was found on a nearby table. 

Police described the victim as having "severe bruising on his entire body, and multiple lacerations and puncture wounds on his body and head," charges read. Police could not find a pulse, and the man was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the charging document. 

The medical examiner determined the man died from multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was a homicide. Police did not give a motive for the attack. 

Spanier is scheduled to make his first appearance in court Tuesday afternoon.