(MOBILE, Ala.) - Bond has been denied for the suspect in a gruesome murder case.
26-year-old Brandon Estle appeared in court Thursday morning for the first time since being charged.
He's accused of killing 25-year-old Justin Hasty.
Hasty was found stuffed in a tool box in Grand Bay Tuesday.
Estle told our cameras he was friends with Hasty and killed him in self defense.
The big question with the case now: was Estle a friend or foe?
There's no question that Justin Hasty and Estle had been friends.
Estle's father even said Hasty had visited their house on several occasions.
But what about now?
What was Estle's relationship with Hasty at the time 25-year-old was beaten to death?
The answer depends on who you talk to, the district attorney, or Estle's defense attorney.
"I understand they were best friends," said Estle's lawyer, Jeff Deen.
"There's been some talk that they were best friends. They were not best friends," explained Ashley Rich, Mobile County district attorney. "They had been friends in high school at Murphy High School, but the friendship was estranged."
During today's hearing, additional details were revealed about the crime scene.
Police began their investigation after the landlord unlocked Hasty's front door to reveal blood on the walls and ceiling.
District Attorney Rich told the judge investigators believe a baseball bat was used in
the crime. Three were found at Estle's house in West Mobile.
DNA tests are being done on all of them.
