14 DAY TRIAL // Michael Brea, whose credits include “Ugly Betty” and “Step Up 3D,” has been taken into custody on suspicion that he beheaded his own mother with a samurai sword, while reciting biblical passages, TMZ has learned.
The celebrity gossip website / paparazzi agency reports the actor was arrested when police arrived at the scene of the crime and found Brea covered in blood, clutching a Bible.
He’s currently being held in police custody but will have to be submitted to psychiatric evaluation before any charges are formulated against him.
“An actor who appeared on ‘Ugly Betty’ was taken into custody in Brooklyn this morning for allegedly killing his mother with a 3-foot long samurai sword while screaming biblical passages,” TMZ reports.
The very nature of the crime – and not so much Brea’s popularity and fame – has made of it a topic of interest with media outlets from all around the world, especially since police are describing the scene upon arrival as “extremely bloody.”
“When cops arrived to the scene around 2:20 AM, officers say Brea was clutching the bible. Cops ultimately had to use a taser to subdue the actor. Brea was taken to a nearby hospital for a psychiatric evaluation with a police escort,” TMZ notes.
A neighbor confirms the theory that this may have been a religious murder, telling the police he heard Brea urging his mother to repent right before killing her.
“I hear the brother chasing her [his mother] through the house and he’s just saying a bunch of [Bible] passages like, ‘Repent, Repent, Repent’,” the neighbor says, as cited by the aforementioned e-zine.
“I heard him chasing her through the house and I hear a loud scream and so I have my father call the cops, call 911,” he adds.
As also noted above, at this point in time, Brea hasn’t been formally charged with anything, pending the psychiatric evaluation.