Ugly Betty Actor Arraigned in Mother's Murder

Michael Brea, the bit-part actor accused of hacking his mother to death with a sword, has been arraigned on charges of second-degree murder, The Associated Press reports.

Ugly Betty actor charged with mother's slaying

Brea was arraigned Friday in a hospital prison ward in New York, where his psychiatric health is being evaluated. He was also charged with criminal possession of a weapon after police found him in his Brooklyn apartment with a 3-foot sword nearly two weeks ago. His mother, Yannick, had been stabbed to death in their apartment.

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Brea is being held without bail and will continue to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. His next court appearance is on Dec. 18.The actor, who had small parts on Ugly Betty and in the film Step Up 3D, confessed to the murder in an interview with New York's Daily News days after his arrest. He said his actions were "the work of God."

Ugly Betty actor on mother's murder: "It was the work of God"

"She had the voice of the demon," Brea said. "I asked, 'Do you believe in God?' She said, 'No, Michael no,' and began screaming. ... I didn't want to kill her right away. I wanted to give her time to get right with God.""His family and friends know, without question, that Michael was not well in the moments leading to [his mother's] death," the Brea family said in a statement.