Hall County deputies have arrested a Gainesville man accused of a violent and deadly assault against his parents.
Deputies stopped and arrested 26-year-old Gainesville resident Steve Joe Andrade in traffic near White Sulphur Road around 9 a.m. Tuesday. He faces malice murder and felony murder charges in the death of his father, 52-year-old Esteban Andrade.
Around 6:30 a.m. on December 28, deputies responded to a report of an unknown problem at the family’s residence in the 3800 block of Old Cornelia Highway. There, officers found the elder Andrade’s body in a building behind his house, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office says.
Esteban Andrade showed signs of blunt force trauma on parts of his body. Officials transported his body to the GBI Crime Lab for autopsy.
Deputies took the younger Andrade into custody without incident. They also charged him with felony criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated assault under the Family Violence Act and felony kidnapping in the assault against his mother, 52-year-old Nora Andrade.
Officers booked Steve Andrade into the Hall County Jail. As of Wednesday morning, December 29, he remained in jail without bond, online records show.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the crimes.
