Man found in Brighton Park home was beaten to death with hammer: police

A man has been charged with beating another man to death with a hammer early Monday in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

Julio Hernandez, 34, told investigators he struck the 40-year-old man in the head with a hammer multiple times about 12:55 a.m. inside a home in the 3100 block of West 40th Street, according to Chicago Police. Responding officers recovered a weapon at the scene and took Hernandez into custody.

An autopsy Monday found the victim died from multiple injuries in an assault and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. His identity was withheld pending notification of his family.

Hernandez, who lives in Brighton Park, was charged with first-degree murder, police said. He was expected to appear in bond court on Wednesday.