Kendall Yarborough shot and killed his half-brother, James Watson, on Dec. 25, 2023, prosecutors said. (Mug shot: DuPage County State’s Attorney)
Illinois authorities have accused a Florida visitor of fatally shooting his half-brother while the victim was upset over a lost phone.
Kendall Yarborough, 28, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in DuPage County.
According to a news release, authorities responded at approximately 3:06 p.m. on Monday regarding a call of a person shot at a home in unincorporated Naperville on the 25W0-100 block of Wood Court.
They found James Javonne Watson in the home, suffering a gunshot wound in the abdomen. Medical staff pronounced him dead at a hospital.
“Family members stated that Watson was intoxicated and was upset that he could not find his cell phone,” authorities wrote. “His behavior had been described as increasingly obnoxious. Watson slammed a card table against the floor. After the table was slammed, the witnesses reported hearing a second noise which was later determined to be a single gunshot.”
“I think he shot me,” Watson said, according to court documents.
A relative told investigators about seeing Yarborough holding the gun seconds after she heard the shot.
“Yarborough was standing upstairs and shot down towards Watson who was downstairs,” documents stated.
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Family called 911 and provided aid to the dying man.
Law enforcement claimed to find a 9 mm Sig Sauer P-365X handgun and a spent 9 mm bullet casing.
Authorities said they took Yarborough into custody at the home without incident.
“On Christmas day, James Watson lost his life after his half-brother, Kendall Yarborough allegedly shot him in the abdomen while James was looking for his cell phone,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said in a statement. “This senseless act of violence will not go unpunished. To James’ family and friends, I offer my sincere condolences and wish them strength as they mourn the loss of a family member and come to terms with another family member accused of his murder. I thank DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick and his office for their work on this sad case. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Robert Willis, Helen Kapas and Michael Paup, for their work in securing charges against Mr. Yarborough.”
“It is horrible that a tragedy occurred on Christmas,” DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick said. “It goes to show that domestic violence can occur in any home and that’s why we take domestic related incidents seriously at the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office. Thank you for all the hard work from first responders and State’s Attorney Bob Berlin’s office for handling this serious crime during their Christmas holiday.”
Yarborough, a resident of the Florida city of Palm Harbor, appeared in court for his first appearance on Tuesday morning, but the court granted his motion to continue the pretrial detention hearing until Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.
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