Two people testify in double murder case

Reader discretion is advised as the details in the article are disturbing and explicit.

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Two people testified in the preliminary hearing of the man charged with murdering an elderly couple in their Brawley home.

25-year-old Brandon Hamlin appeared in court wearing a red jumpsuit as he heard the testimony of both a Brawley police officer and an investigator.     

During the officer's testimony, he described how he found the victims. 

He says as he entered the home of 78-year-old Elia Castro and 84-year-old Rigoberto Castro, he saw blood splatter throughout the home. 

He says Elia was lying on her stomach in a pool of blood and Rigoberto was on a chair with stab wounds to his neck. 

The investigator says Hamlin allegedly used a mallet to hit Elia on the head.

Then he allegedly dragged her to the living room, used a pocket knife to cut her throat, and then went into the kitchen to grab a kitchen knife and continued to cut her throat again.

He says Hamlin did the same thing to Rigoberto. 

The judge now has to decide if there's enough evidence to take this case to trial. 

"We put it over so the judge will have time to review certain transcripts and video interviews and will come back to the next hearing," said Donald Levine, Hamlin's attorney.

"If he does make that ruling which I assume that will happen on the 23rd, then moving forward we will probably set trial dates," stated Margaret Tafoya, Imperial County District Attorney's Office.

Hamlin's attorney said the case is special.

“There are special circumstances alleged which means that the prosecution is seeking the punishment of without parole. They decided not to go with the death penalty," explained Levine.

An investigator who also took the stand testified that Hamlin said he did not plan to murder the elderly couple but that he was upset due to bad news he had just received while he was washing their car.

Hamlin is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of robbery.

He's scheduled to be back in court later this month.