Relatives shocked by 'Ugly Betty' actor Michael Brea's alleged savage sword slay of mother

BY Matthew Lysiak and James Fanelli

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Michael Brea, 31, lived with his mother, Yannick, and twin brother, Marcel, in an apartment in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

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Yannick Brea's sister Gina Dumond grieves outside home.

Grief-stricken relatives of Michael Brea struggled Tuesday to understand how the handsome aspiring actor known for his calm demeanor could hack his mother to death.
"The boy is a quiet man," said Brea's uncle, Martial Brea. "He's very smart. He's had a good life. He made money easily. He's in the movies.
"It's something that's impossible to believe. I would believe someone else [did it], but not him."
Brea, 31, lived with his mother, Yannick, and twin brother, Marcel, in an apartment in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. The three attended church every Sunday when the boys were growing up, but the sons drifted away as they grew, neighbors said.
Brea's mother and father, Marcel, are Haitian immigrants. They are divorced, but friends and relatives said there were no family problems.
"His mother raised [Michael] to be loving," said neighbor Vernal Bent. "She was a wonderful mother. She was always cooking black beans and Creole food. On New Year's [Day], she made this traditional soup that was amazing."
As recently as Sunday, neighbors said Brea seemed in good spirits and normal.
"He was getting ready to move," neighbor Clinton Clare said. "He was talking about girls and was real cool. It's just mind-boggling."
Brea earned a living as a business entrepreneur and off his movie-star looks.
Until a year ago, he owned a Subway sandwich franchise in Brooklyn, making a name for himself by handing out free turkey heroes on Thanksgiving.
He told the film website BelFim.com last year that his mom taught him generosity.
"I remember growing up and my mother was always feeding people who were less fortunate," he said.
Brea first used his good looks as a clothing model, the website said. His face was also plastered on billboards and in magazine advertisements promoting Coca-Cola's energy drink Full Throttle.
He broke into TV with a small part on an episode of ABC's former sitcom "Ugly Betty." He later appeared this year in the dance movie "Step Up 3-D."
Brea told BelFim.com that he pursued acting to promote his Haitian roots, BelFim.com said.
"I want my fellow American brothers and sisters to know the history of Haiti," Brea said. "I want to report the history of both worlds [Haiti and America] through film."


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/11/24/2010-11-24_relatives_shocked_by_ugly_betty_actor_michael_breas_alleged_savage_slay_of_mothe.html#ixzz16C7TfdvT