Crime & Safety
Troy Basement Apartment Killings: 2 Arrested On Murder Charges
Justin Mann and James White were arrested on Saturday and pleaded not guilty in Troy City Court.
TROY, NY — Two Schenectady men were arrested on murder charges in the slayings of two women and two children found dead in the basement of their Troy apartment. Justin Mann and James White were arrested on Saturday and pleaded not guilty in Troy City Court.
Troy Police Chief John Tedesco said one them knew one of the victims, according to the Times Union of Albany, but Tedesco wouldn't go into details.
The four were killed on the night of Dec. 21 and their bodies were found five days later, according to details provided in court. A property manager found 36-year-old Shanta Myers; her children, 11-year-old Jeremiah Myers and 5-year-old Shanise Myers; and 22-year-old Brandi Mells in a basement apartment along the Hudson River. Meyers and Mells became engaged last year, Mells' cousin, Sharonda Bennett, told the newspaper.
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Tedesco and District Attorney Joel Abelove, who appeared at a press conference, declined to answer questions about a possible motive and the method of the killings.
They also would not say how the defendants know each other, but said that both have records and Mann is on parole.
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More than two dozen people were in court Saturday, some wearing Troy Boys & Girls club sweatshirts.
Mann appeared to break down as he was led out of court. A man and a woman in the courtroom became visibly distraught.
The suspects were sent to the Rensselaer County Jail to await their next court appearance, on Thursday. Neither man said anything as the charges were read.
Tedesco said no more arrests are expected.
"I don't have to tell you what a good feeling it is to have these two in custody," he said. "It's a great relief."
"The rapid apprehension and arrest of two suspects in connection with this tragic crime is welcome news for our community and the victims' families impacted by this senseless tragedy," Troy Mayor Patrick Madden, a Democrat, said in a statement.
"My heart remains with both the Myers and Mells families," said Madden, who expressed hope that "with the support of the Troy community, they can begin to heal."
Photos credit: Troy Police Department via AP