Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a man and charged him with first-degree murder after responding to a reported assault Monday, June 14.

According to Dwight D’Evelyn, YCSO public information officer,deputies responded to the reported assault in the 2000 block of S. Puma Circle, in the Verde Villages outside Cottonwood, at approximately 7:45 p.m. Deputies were nearby on an unrelated call and arrived within minutes.

As the deputies approached the identified home, a man across the street yelled that the parties involved were upstairs, according to D’Evelyn. Deputies reportedly entered the home and eventually checked a bathroom on the north side where they found an apparent crime scene.

Once inside the bathroom, deputies reportedly found a 57-year-old, sitting in the bathtub with blood on him, according to D’Evelyn. He reportedly admitted there was another person inside the room, but no one responded to deputy’s commands.

Deputies then reportedly noticed he was sitting on top of another man in the bathtub, according to D’Evelyn. He was removed from the tub and handcuffed so deputies could access the condition of the other man.

This 74-year-old victim reportedly appeared he had been assaulted with a blunt object and was non-responsive, according to D’Evelyn. Emergency Medical Services personnel from the Verde Valley Fire District confirmed that the victim was deceased.

Deputies contained the scene and contacted detectives from the Criminal Investigations Bureau. Detectives arrived and remained throughout the night gathering evidence and further information. Both the victim and suspect reportedly resided at the home, according to D’Evelyn.

As a result of the preliminary investigation, the suspect was booked into the Yavapai County Detention Center in Camp Verde for one count of first-degree murder and is being held on a $1 million bond.

His next court date is Tuesday, June 22, for an early disposition hearing. The investigation is ongoing.

For more information, call YCSO at 771-3260.