Two people have been arrested in the “horrific” murders of two women and two children in Troy, New York.
James W. White, 38, and Justin C. Mann, 24, were each charged with one count of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder, Troy Police Department Capt. Daniel DeWolf told CNN.
The victims — Brandi Mells, 22, Shanta Myers, 36, and Myers’ children Shanise, 5, and Jeremiah, 11 — were found dead in a basement apartment on Tuesday in what police called a “horrific” homicide that shook the upstate New York city.
Police haven’t released details of the killings, but Troy Police Chief John Tedesco said earlier this week that he couldn’t describe the “savagery” of the killer. “I don’t know of a word that can say it,” Tedesco told reporters.
The two women were in a relationship, Tedesco said. A property manager in the upstate New York city alerted police after finding the four in a basement apartment.
While police on Thursday called on the public for tips, Troy residents were shaken.
Pastor Jackie Robinson Sr. of the Oak Grove Baptist Church in Troy said Shanta Myers had been a bus monitor for many years for Durham School Services, which runs the Troy school system’s buses.
“The entire city is really traumatized by what has happened. It’s inconceivable,” Robinson said.