Man Faces Murder Charges In Beating

The Yakima Police Department has started a murder investigation after the death of a woman who police say was beaten by an ex-boyfriend at a Yakima apartment on Sunday. Police spokesman Mike Bastinelli says an ex boyfriend entered the apartment of 24-year-old Marcellina Briones and beat her with an aluminum baseball bat. Bastinelli says a neighbor tried to stop the attack. "The neighbor heard what was happening. He knocked on the door and confronted the suspect who then took off." But 26-year-old Ricardo Mendoza was arrested hours after the attack. He was initially charged with assault but now his charge will be upgraded to murder. He's being held in the Yakima County jail Today.