Man lies next to dead brother after blasting him with rifle, claimed sibling was black sheep of family who 'was slowly killing us all,' cops say

Inset: Benjamin Chess (Albuquerque Police Department). Background: The area in Albuquerque, N.M., where Benjamin Chess allegedly killed his brother at their aunt's house (Google Maps).

A New Mexico man shot his brother dead with a rifle and then lay down "next to him on the ground" until authorities arrived, according to cops. The man allegedly told police his sibling was the black sheep of the family who had a history of starting fights and drinking on a daily basis, which he said was "slowly killing us all."

Benjamin Chess, 55, is facing an open count of murder and tampering with evidence after blowing away his brother, Adam Chess, 54, at their apartment in Albuquerque, according to an Albuquerque Police Department press release sent to Law&Crime.

A neighbor called police after Adam Chess stumbled out of the apartment around 7 p.m. on Thursday and told the resident "his brother … had shot him," per cops.

"Officers arrived and located Adam Chess in front of the apartment," the police release says. "His brother, Benjamin, was lying next to him on the ground."

The neighbor who called 911 reported seeing Benjamin Chess leave the apartment after the shooting with a trash bag that he placed inside a receptacle. Investigators allegedly located a bullet casing inside the bag during the execution of a search warrant.

A woman who lives at the apartment, identified by cops as the brothers' aunt, allegedly told detectives that Benjamin Chess was staying with her. She said Adam Chess would come over sometimes to stay and when he did, the brothers "often fought with each other," according to the police press release.

"The aunt told officers she heard the two men arguing on Thursday and saw Adam 'charge' at Benjamin, but did not see either of them with any weapons," the release explains. "She went inside and reported hearing a 'loud bang.' She then saw Benjamin place a brown rifle into a laundry basket in the hallway."

Police say Benjamin Chess told detectives his brother "had a history of drinking alcohol on a daily basis and starting confrontations." He claimed this behavior was "slowly killing us all," in reference to their family, according to police.

"Benjamin Chess said he remembered his brother returning to the apartment on Thursday evening and pounding on the door," the police release says. "He said he did not remember what happened after that. He only recalled marching down the hallway and he had shot his brother with a rifle."

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Benjamin Chess allegedly claimed he could not remember removing the rifle from a case in his bedroom or loading the rifle with ammunition. "He only remembers being overwhelmed by the pounding on the door," according to police.

Benjamin Chess was booked into the Metro Detention Center. Prosecutors have asked that he be held without bond, according to online court records. He does not have a future court date listed yet.