Peter C. Fox

A Webster Groves man killed his older brother with a hatchet inside the small brick home they shared, according to murder charges filed Wednesday. Timothy Fox, 58, is charged in St. Louis County with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He is accused of killing his brother, Peter C. Fox, 64. The Fox brothers lived in the 500 block of South Old Orchard Avenue. Webster Groves police Detective Lt. Jillian McCoy said in court papers that officers went to the home on Tuesday morning and found Peter Fox dead on a couch in the front living room. He had a hatchet in his head, McCoy said. Officers checked the rest of the house and found Timothy Fox in a back room, on another couch. He appeared to be intoxicated, and uttered several things to police, McCoy said. “How did you guys find out about this?” he asked police, according to a probable cause statement filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court. He also asked how police knew he was there, McCoy said. Webster Groves police went to the home after someone from Timothy Fox’s work called to say he hadn’t shown up two days in a row and was “alarmed.” The caller said Timothy Fox was last seen at work on Friday, and that he lived with his brother. Police went to the home for a wellness check after 9 a.m. Tuesday. Police would only say publicly on Tuesday that they considered the death “suspicious.” The details about how Peter Fox died emerged in court papers Wednesday.