Man accused of fatally beating Arizona veteran

GILBERT, Ariz. — A man is accused of fatally beating an Arizona veteran earlier this month, authorities said.

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Jacob Samia, 32, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, KNXV reported. Samia is accused of beating 73-year-old Frank Bernal on Oct. 11, The Arizona Republic reported. Bernal was unable to recover from his injuries and died Oct. 20, the newspaper reported.

According to court documents, one of Samia’s friends called Gilbert police to report that Samia had attempted to break into a smoke shop after a night of drinking, KNXV reported.

Officers responded and found a trail of blood, which led them to a home where they found Bernal severely injured, the television station reported.

“Totally senseless,” Bernal’s neighbor, Jim Corrigan, told KNXV. “There’s no rhyme or reason to it.”

Samia was arrested Oct. 11 on suspicion of aggravated assault, burglary and criminal damage, the Republic reported. He posted bail, and the initial charges were dismissed pending DNA results, KNXV reported.

However, the results showed that Samia’s DNA was found in Bernal’s home, the television station reported. Police then rearrested Samia on Monday, according to court documents.

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