SAGINAW, MI — A Georgia man is to spend at least 50 years behind bars for fatally shooting his younger brother in a Saginaw Township house.

Saginaw County Circuit Judge Janet M. Boes on Tuesday, Dec. 3, sentenced 34-year-old Adrian L. Villanueva to the following prison terms:

· 48 to 75 years

· Two terms of 114 months to 15 years

· Two terms of 30 months to four years

· Five years of a flat two years

Villanueva initially declined to speak when Boes gave him the chance. He then spoke up on learning his sentences, saying he didn’t know there would be minimums.

His defense attorney, Eldor R. Herrmann, said he had explained this to Villanueva. Boes also said it is standard for terms to have minimums and maximums.

Before the sentences were imposed, Herrmann said his client was abused as a child and has been undergoing mental health treatment since he was 7. Earlier in his case’s proceeding, professionals had deemed him mentally ill, but not to the degree that he was legally insane, Herrmann said.

No one gave a victim-impact statement at the hearing.

Boes described Villanueva’s crimes as “horrific, egregious acts" committed in the presence of children.

“To inflict that kind of experience on children will affect them forever,” she continued, “and, obviously, taking someone else’s life is beyond explanation or justification in this matter.”

Villanueva in October pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, five counts of felony firearm, two counts of unlawful imprisonment, and two counts of felonious assault. In exchange, the prosecution agreed to dismiss a charge of open murder, which contains both first- and second-degree murder.

Prosecutors had alleged Villanueva on the afternoon of March 4 repeatedly shot his 25-year-old brother, Jonathan I. Villanueva, inside their shared residence at 4035 Emerick St. in Saginaw Township. Adrian Villanueva called 911 to report the shooting.

Multiple relatives were present in the house, including the defendant’s two young children, prosecutors said.

Police from multiple agencies responded to the scene and engaged Villanueva in a four-hour standoff. During the negotiations, Villanueva eventually let some of his family members leave the house uninjured and ultimately surrendered to police.

Saginaw County Emergency Services Team members then entered the house and discovered Jonathan Villanueva’s body.

The Villanueva brothers were natives of Georgia, according to their sister, Erica Durham, of Alabama. She previously said they were very close and that Adrian Villanueva has suffered from mental health issues much of his life.

The gun involved was a Kahr .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, purchased from Showtime Guns & Ammo, 3621 Bay Road in Saginaw Township. Adrian Villanueva’s then-girlfriend, 25-year-old Jessica M. Peek, bought the gun for him.

Peek in June appeared in federal court and pleaded guilty to one count of sale or transfer of a firearm to a prohibited person. U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington is to sentence Peek at 3 p.m. on Jan. 9.