LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from March 11.
A Lancaster County man who admitted to police that he killed his sister will see his case headed to court.
Joel Ayala Jr., 20, had his preliminary hearing on Wednesday morning and his formal arraignment was scheduled for April 29.
He is facing the charges in connection to the death of 22-year-old Linette Ayala.
Authorities say on March 10 around 11:30 p.m., police were dispatched to the 2900 block of Spring Valley Road for a reported cardiac arrest. The reporting person to 911 said that a person was not breathing.
Upon arrival, police say they located 22-year-old Linette Ayala deceased in the garage of the home. She appeared to have suffered a "traumatic" injury from an apparent assault.
According to the criminal complaint, Ayala's father said he had not been able to find his daughter, but noticed cleaning products, such as bleach and a bucket, present in the house and found blood on the sheets of her bed.
After that, Ayala's father told police he located his daughter partially wrapped in bedding in the garage of the home.
Police say that during their investigation, they found blood splatter on the victim's bed and surrounding walls. They also noticed the mop and bucket, which smelled of bleach and had a red, blood-like liquid in it.
Both the Ayala and the victim lived in rooms in the basement of the home, which connected to the garage, police say.
Additional testimony at the preliminary hearing revealed that an initial 911 call had been made around 7:30 p.m. on March 10 for a mental health check made by Ayala Sr. after he returned home from running errands during the day.
Ayala Sr. returned home to find Ayala Jr. possessing his AK-47 rifle, which has now been seized by police and is being sent to state police for testing.
At that time, Ayala Sr. was able to secure his gun from Ayala Jr. and it was agreed that he would go with his mother, who lives in Lebanon, to the Good Samaritan Hospital for a mental health check.
Police then left the scene at the East Hempfield Township home around 8:18 p.m. but returned later that night, after Ayala Sr. called to report that he'd found his daughter dead.
Investigators then determined Ayala Jr. as a person of interest and went to Lebanon to bring him in for an interview and check on the welfare of the residents he was with.
Police found him to be asleep in a second-floor bedroom and he voluntarily agreed to come speak with investigators at the East Hempfield Township Police Department.
During this interview, police say, Ayala Jr. admitted he was home alone with his sister, used a mop and bucket, knew his sister was dead, and when asked if he was responsible for his sister’s death he responded, “Yes.”
Police say they observed Ayala Jr. to have a flat affect and was very quiet and the only additional information given was that his sister had made fun of him for being depressed.
The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of the victim’s death to be multiple gunshot wounds to the head and the manner to be homicide.
Ayala Jr. remains in Lancaster County Prison without bail.