A 24-year-old Alexandria resident has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of his brother. 

Brian Cruz-Segovia pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, a felony, in the death of Nelson Roberto Cruz on March 25, Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter announced Thursday in a news release.

Cruz and Cruz-Segovia were drinking alcohol and eating dinner on the evening of March 25 inside their apartment on North Beauregard Street when an argument broke out between the two. During the argument, Cruz-Segovia punched Cruz, resulting in him falling to the ground. The blow led the victim to suffer head trauma that led to his death.

The evidence established that Cruz-Segovia meant to punch the victim, but showed no evidence that he intended to kill Cruz, according to the release.

Cruz-Segovia was sentenced to serve 10 years of incarceration, with all but three years of his sentence suspended if he shows uniform good behavior for 10 years after his release from the penitentiary, complies with five years of supervised probation after his release and pays $5,000 in restitution for expenses relating to the Cruz’ funeral. 

“The defendant’s unthinking resort to violence has ruined two lives; not only is his brother dead, but he must live with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life. I hope the circumstances of this case stand a warning to other citizens: do not let verbal altercations turn physical, because there are often grave consequences when people resort to violence,” Porter said in a statement. “I pray that the Cruz family can now begin the healing process caused by this tragedy.”

Porter also said the sentence was “above the high end of applicable Virginia Sentencing Guidelines.” 

Cruz-Segovia is being held in the Truesdale Adult Detention Center and will be transferred to the Department of Corrections to serve out his sentence.