A Mississippi man has pleaded guilty to murdering his own brother.

Steven Eric Stuart was arrested for the murder of his brother back in 2017.

Fifteenth District Attorney Hal Kittrell said that 60-year-old Steven Eric Stuart pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the killing of his brother, then 53-year-old John Wesley Stuart in April of this year before the honorable 15th Circuit Court Judge Claiborne “Buddy” McDonald.

Steven Stuart was originally arrested for a warrant for murder, previous coverage states. Kittrell said the family of multiple siblings came to an agreement to allow Steven Stuart to plead to manslaughter to lessen the loss for the family.

Investigators said Steven Stuart shot John Stuart at his Poplarville home in September 2017. They discovered John Stuart’s body after receiving a request to conduct a welfare check. The investigators said John Stuart had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

The motive of the killing is not clear, but investigators have said they believed the brothers got into an argument that led to the killing.

Tuesday, Judge McDonald sentenced Steven Stuart to 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, the maximum sentence for a conviction of manslaughter, Kittrell said. Had Steven faced the charge of first-degree murder, the maximum sentence could have been life. Steven Stuart could be eligible for parole after serving 10 years, but that does not mean it will be granted, Kittrell said.

“I think it was an equitable sentence,” Kittrell said.