A man accused of attacking his brother with a power drill at a home in San Francisco last month was ordered to stand trial on assault charges after the sibling testified about the terrifying encounter.
Kevin Guerin, 57, is accused of attacking his brother Jeremiah at the brother’s home in the 100 block of Judson Avenue in the city’s Sunnyside neighborhood around 9:40 a.m. on Oct. 16.
Guerin had been in jail earlier that month on assault and criminal threats charges with hate crime enhancements in connection with an Oct. 4 attack on his neighbor at a boarding house in the 300 block of Seneca Avenue.
Prosecutors said Guerin committed the attack because the victim was gay, a charge denied by his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Anne Irwin.
Guerin’s bail was reduced at an Oct. 11 hearing over prosecutors’ objections, allowing him to be set free, and he then went to stay with his brother Jeremiah.
Jeremiah Guerin testified in court today that on the morning of Oct. 16, he had gotten out a power drill to fix a broken bathroom door latch when, after an argument over the latch, Kevin suddenly pushed him onto a bed in a nearby room and got control of the drill.
Jeremiah said his brother then began bringing the drill toward his head and told him “I’m going to kill you.”
When asked by prosecutor Michael Maffei about his thoughts during those moments, Jeremiah paused for a few seconds before answering.
“I thought this was the end, I thought my life was over,” he said.
“I was terrified.”
However, during the struggle, the drill bit fell out. At that point, Kevin struck his brother three times on the left side of his head with the drill, causing a laceration and bruising, Jeremiah said.
He testified that his brother then told him “If you leave, I will not kill you,” and allowed him to get up and leave the house.
Jeremiah then went next door and called police, who responded and arrested Kevin.
Following the end of today’s preliminary hearing, Kevin Guerin was ordered to stand trial by Judge John Allen on all charges in both the alleged hate crime attack and the assault on his brother.
He will return to court on Dec. 14 for formal arraignment on the charges.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
Want more news, sent to your inbox every day? Then how about subscribing to our email newsletter? Here’s why we think you should. Come on, give it a try.
