Lesbian couple, 2 kids viciously killed in quadruple homicide

This is pretty shocking especially for upstate NY.

Did Rachael Maddow cover this on her show?

Between this, the vegan chef killing his wife and kids, and all the recent sexual abuse, and, of course, Trump, can we just get rid of straight men? They obviously have some genetic flaw that makes them unable to function properly in modern society.

That whole neighborhood is overrun with gangs and drugs. Miss God alone knows went down there. But it's even money that it involves gangs and drugs.

MS-13 related I bet.

so sad 2 hear/her gone violence 2 be washed away or not, sisters rip

That's a grim part of a sad city.

Not sure if this is a homophobic attack - the homophobes wouldn't have targeted the children, I think, because they enjoy thinking of themselves as the children's savior against the gay menace.

Which weapon was used?

It'll be some man one of them was involved with in the past. It's always some man the woman was involved with in some way. Men like killing women even more than they like killing each other.

[quote] Which weapon was used?

Canes

They make it sound like there were entrails smeared on the walls or something, by not saying anything about the scene but repeating "SAVAGERY" multiple times.

r11 Kill the pigs! Acid is groovy.

Yeah I doubt it was MS13 unless this family was involved with drugs, or were relatives of like gang members, or rival gang members, but even then for MS13 to take out kids that have nothing to do with the situation is odd. Don't get me wrong, MS13 has killed tons of tweens, and teens who they felt done them wrong, but kids without a connection. Also MS13 usually just shoots or burns, rarely will they be this...dirty and emotional.

Ms13??

MS13, the deadliest gang! Duh!

This country gets uglier and uglier by the day. Just wait until the Christianists start blaming the lesbians for their own murder.

Never heard of MS 13 either. Anyone know if they are also in Canada?

I lost interest at the mention of living in a basement apartment.

Dana Rivers murdered a lesbian household just over a year ago

Whodunnit

I hate rugrats.

Yeah, R11, I'm afraid to find out any more details if the cops say it was that bad.

I live in Troy -- it's actually pretty nice, at least parts of it, and has a really cool downtown with great restaurants and stores. South Troy is scary. So are a few other parts of it. But the city is definitely making a comeback -- mostly because of RPI and its tech incubators, etc. And it sure beats Albany and Schenectady.

Yes, sometimes children die in the basement. It's a mother's heartbreak.

Or in the kitchen eating pineapple...

If either of them have an ex-husband, look there first.

Yup, R26. R9 also posited a similar thing.

Troy has a bad reputation but - while it has its rough spots (What city doesn’t?) - it has a lot going for it. Some great dining and shopping, a ton of gorgeous architecture, a small but lively local artists’ community... I don’t live there but it’s a great stop en route to Vermont or Montreal or the Berkshires.

[quote]I live in Troy -- it's actually pretty nice, at least parts of it,

Hahahahaha!

Troy has amazing architecture,a perfect victorian turn of the century prosperous city. But its a sewer full of gangs and drugs. I lived there for 3 years and I couldnt wait to get out. I never met so many trashy people in my life.

Reports coming in the 2 women had their throats slashed.

That's horrifying, R31. I don't want to know how the kids died.

Too bad they didn't have a gun. If their throats were slashed, the perp used a knife. A gun could have prevented at least couple of the deaths unless it was someone they knew and it took them by surprise...but...who's to say

Throat slashing is personal and/or psychosexual.

Of course it was done by one of their exes. The kids they had were from previous relationships I would assume and one of the men was pissed that his wife left him for a woman and is raising his kids like that.

Why would the ex kill his own kids-never mind, there've been tons of articles saying a lot apparently.

AN oddity in the coverage. So far I haven't seen a single photo of the victims, and I don't mean crime scene photos. Nor any identification other then "lesbian couple".

The media is tip-toeing around something.

We all know who’s responsible for this

At the time the article came out the names of the victims had not been released, R37, so there would be no pictures.

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R37 is onto something. When the neo nazi killed that girl's parents, their images were every where.

Also what evidence do they have of them actually being a couple?

Americans are an angry, violent people.

You know...I don't think they really were a lesbian couple. I think someone jumped the gun to get press.

R37 is not onto anything.

It (the fuckwit who slaughtered this entire family) will be an ex, and he's more than likely killed the kids in front of their mother as "revenge" on her.

I want to know who owned the property with the "basement apartment" where they lived. Sometimes, with rental properties it's the owner of the property who may have sketchy friends or acquaintances. Yes, this points to the ex as the first possibility, but it could also be part of some gang related, wrong place, wrong time, drugs and money type scenario.

I remember when a boyfriend and I moved into our first apartment together about 7 years ago, and one Saturday morning the cops were at our door. Detectives. They wanted to ask us a few questions about a homicide. We nearly peed on ourselves. After about ten minutes of questions it was clear to them we were new tenants and didn't know anything about the previous tenants.

I'm ahead of you, r32 - I never even read the article or any articles on this crime. Just headlines.

15 minutes ago:

[quote] Black lesbian couple and kids murdered in targeted killing

Still no names or pictures. I'm starting to wonder if they were trans living as "two lesbians".

Troy is one of those towns that could have been beautiful. Lots of historic architecture, especially around Washington Square, which is stunning and often used in movies. It's now devolved into a crime infested place, although in a relatively small town. Anything could have happened here and drugs are the likely issue, but who knows.

"The victims all appeared to have lived in the apartment, police said. The women were in a relationship, and the girl and the boy were the children of one of the women, police said." So it was her ex I bet, and the kids' dad.

Pic of Washington Park, Troy NY

[quote] repeating "SAVAGERY" multiple times.

Code for saying the police believe non whites committed the crime.

I thought Jeff Sessions was going to smash MS 13.

This is a typical small urban town where crime is now rampant

[quote] repeating "SAVAGERY" multiple times. Code for saying the police believe non whites committed the crime.

Not necessarily. But it is code for Manson-style slaughter.

Did they have a pit bull? If so, I'd bring it in for questioning and check its finger prints, I mean paw prints.

From Radar so not sure how reliable:

Lesbian Couple Murdered: Crime Mirrors 2014 Killing Of Nearby Family

A lesbian couple and their two children were brutally murdered earlier this month in upstate New York. RadarOnline.com has learned through reports that the vile crime mirrors the 2014 killing of a nearby family. Investigators are now searching for the alleged serial killer responsible for the murders.

[quote]And it sure beats Albany and Schenectady.

Why? What is happening in Albany and Schenectady?

The murder at R57 is more tragic because the family was Asian.

Were the murders at R57 ever solved?

No, R60.

That's bad, R61. Vicious murder.

Troy got smashed in the '60's and '70's, a victim of white flight. Absentee landlords bought properties cheaply and run them into the ground. But as NYC has become impossible for young people, they are flooding the Hudson Valley. The average age of Troy is about 35 years old. New businesses are opening every day. Hip ones, started by young entrepreneurs. It is on its way up.

But the absentee landlord problem is hard to overcome. Tax them to DEATH.

If this awful incident was domestic violence, I would expect dad to 1) use and gun, and 2), kill himself after finishing off mom and the kiddies. This seems more like someone didn't pay the drug dealer and a powerful message was sent out. Drug dealers are not known for there generosity and empathy. Offing the kids could have been a way to get rid of witnesses, or it could have been to underscore the warning.

It will all be revealed, but right now, the investigation is fresh and the details are being carefully guarded.

Another multiple murder in an ugly house, just like in Reston, VA.

I was looking for this thread on another thread so thanks for bumping it. I knew DL had to be covering it.

I’m surprised people have never heard of MS13. The worlds worst most notorious gang (arguably).

Anyway, surely their identities will leak out eventually. How have they not already..

Troy has by far the best restaurant in the entire metro Capital Area, which is bigger than you might think, over a million people. The restaurant is Peck's Arcade, and it's NYC quality at less than half the price.

There are a few other good restaurants as well, mostly ethnic ones, especially Asian.

Once you get out of downtown, with its beautiful architecture and parks, things start to fall apart. If it weren't for RPI, the city would have been doomed.

Upstate NY is sad.

R10 you saucy thing

Would gangs would slash throats? They tend to shoot fast and leave. I can't imagine the father killing the kids and, if he did, I'd imagine he'd kill himself afterwards. This was either personal, perhaps a man who was rejected by the younger woman, or a random sexual killer. Slashing throats is very personal.

In the U.S., MS-13 has an especially heavy presence in California, the Washington, D.C.metropolitan area, New York City and New Jersey, Boston, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Houston. There is also a presence of MS-13 in Toronto, Canada.

They’ve released the identities now. I looked up one of them on Facebook and saw a friends post mourning the loss, followed by a post by one of their kids dads (??) asking what happened.

[quote]When the neo nazi killed that girl's parents, their images were every where.

Huh?

I remember when MS-13 murdered this 2-year old and then gave his Dora the Explorer ball to another child.

Has the Soft Butch Sous Chef been paroled?

WW, r74.

The Atlantic has published some good pieces on MS 13. But I don't think this is them, I think it's a serial killer fixated on family units and killing those he thinks are 'illegitimate'. Possibly a religious fundamentalist.

r71 Wanna share that info? I still don't get names in my update.

[quote] Would gangs would slash throats? They tend to shoot fast and leave

MS 13 beat two high school girls to death on Long Island two years ago. They did it on the street, no less.

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r79 Thank you! For some reason I thought it was a younger Hispanic woman, I wasn't even close.

This reminded me of another murder only one of the women did it to the other but I can't remember if it was real or a TV drama. Anybody remember, two women who were EMTs and one killed the other and shoved her body down the cellar stairs and told the police she tripped and fell? They had a child.

From the DM article at R79:

Shanta Myers, 36, and her two children Shanise, 5, and Jeremiah, 11, were found dead inside an apartment in Troy, New York on Tuesday The body of Myers' 22-year-old girlfriend, Brandi Mells, was also discovered...

Pastor Jackie Robinson Sr, of Oak Grove Baptist Church, said that Myers' older son wasn't home when the killings occurred. He is thought to be the last surviving member of the family.

r81 Yes, it was just on Dateline recently. Lesbians, the one pushed the other down the stairs.

it seems like act of Gang banger may or may not MS13

That 22 year old gf looks just like a baby. Total meaning of baby dyke.

The young lover was butchy. Looks like a crime of passion? Might it be the children's father? Have they spoke to him already?

What about the older brother?

From The NY Post:

Shanta apparently moved to Troy from North Carolina around 2011, according to friends. She worked at the local Joseph’s House homeless shelter and more recently at a Sonic fast-food eatery.

Police Chief James Tedesco – who said the killings were not random — did not comment on whether any weapons were found at the scene or if there had been a forced entry. He also has not disclosed how the victims were killed.

hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. all the lesbians do around here is bedhop and get into fights. sloppy.

[QUOTE] hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

I should know!

The young “lover” at R79 reminds me of the Black Matt Damon:

Lol, r91. Matt’s half brother. He’s from Boston, so you nevah know.

Or Nipsey Russell’s son

lol r10

I thought I read that they were executed, all with their hands tied and throats slashed, including the children's.

R95, an execution is only done with guns usually to the back of the head-hence why it's called an execution. A slaying is done with knives.

Learn your crime jargon, son.

Don't 'rip' people when they die. It's stupid-looking and disrespectful. Can't you fucking trouble your pea-brained self to write, 'Rest in Peace?

R96, look up the definition of execution. There is no mention of guns to the back of the head.

The person who did this was likely on heavy drugs. Quite a few details are still missing.

I can see someone on drugs killing one person, but not methodically killing four.

[quote] Pastor Jackie Robinson Sr, of Oak Grove Baptist Church

Is he the father of THE Jackie Robinson?

One of the shelter inhabitants?

Perhaps not the ex of the woman with kids, but the ex of the other woman slain?

R82 Ok , how old is the older son ? Old enough to get a bit cranky and stabby (or whatever murder method was used) ?

r91 looks a bit like soft butch sous chef too!

Isn't gun to the back of the head "professional-style execution" or "execution style shooting/murder" or "shot execution-style"? I agree execution could be done a number of ways.

This was no serial killer. This was someone known to one or both of the women. Or to someone who used to live there.

If they all had their hands tied behind their backs wouldn't that imply more than one killer?

The way they have sat on this story it must somehow be related to the big Las Vegas shooting.

With a teen son in the pic Im going either gang related or he did it.

Shanta Myers was only 36 years old? She looked more like 56. Guess she'd done some hard living.

R96 Back when they used to hang people that wasn’t an execution it was a roping? What’s the correct nomenclature for guillotine? Axe? Sword?

From Darien News:

Shakera Symes tells Spectrum News in Albany the entire family is devastated over the killings of Shanta Myers, her 5-year-old daughter, her 11-year-old son and Brandi Mells. The four were found dead Tuesday in an apartment they shared in Troy, just north of Albany...

Symes says Myers' older son has been living with her for about two months. She says she last spoke with her sister last week...

A pastor says a woman and her two children among four people killed in an upstate New York basement apartment were much loved and respected in the neighborhood. The Rev. Jackie Robinson is a member of the African American Pastoral Alliance in Troy. He says Shanta Myers had worked as a bus monitor and her children were active in youth programs. Police say Myers; her 5-year-old daughter, Shanise; and her 11-year-old son, Jeremiah, were found dead Tuesday. Also killed was Myers' partner, Brandi Mells.

Robinson says he knows nothing about Mells.

R108, how the fuck did you connect this to the Vegas shooting?

THIS is one of the reasons that Donald Trump is our fucking president.

Maybe it was the younger woman's ex, who was angry that his/her girl had been "stolen" by the older woman and her family.

Does anyone know how old the oldest son is?

Arrests. Fortunately, these two are as stupid as they look.

I hate these vicious, ugly crimes.

This is heartbreaking. Unlike when the friends or family of perpetrators go on about their nice boy scout son who could never have done it, this is completely believable. She sounds like the very sort of person a garden variety psychopath can easily take advantage of for whatever objective.

[quote]"She is so sweet," her sister, Shakera Symes, told NBC News. "She goes out of her way to want to be loved. She wouldn't be involved in anything that would be close to deserving this. She's very mild-mannered."

The Matt Damon one was a dwarf! Very Damonesque

From the Washington Blade:

The Times Union newspaper reported prosecutors have charged Justin Mann with three counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree murder. James White has been charged with four counts of second-degree murder.

Any speculation about motive?

Nothing yet about motivation, just that the family was targeted for an unknown reason. I wonder what evidence/tips they had to apprehend the suspects so quickly.

That leapt out at me too r119. It’s a horrific story and I’m a bad person for being amused. It just stuck out like an unlikely character on a poorly written drama, ‘black lesbian dwarf murder victim’.

No matter what the motive may turn out to be this is horrible.

If so many family and friends show up for an arraignment (the courtroom look filled) suggesting a good support system, it would seem that people cared enough about that "no ratting or snitching" codes went out the window and police received tips.

Was Troy always this bad or are NYC problems moving upstate because NYC is so expensive?

Yes, R125, it seems like it. I just saw a headline that Troy is the new Brooklyn somewhere. Brooklyn from many years ago, I guess.

Just noticed at R118 that the sister is still speaking about her in the present tense. It's not quite hit.

[quote] Men like killing women even more than they like killing each other.

Then why do they kill each other far more often?

Is the killer a tranny?

We already know a tranny killed a lesbian couple and their 3 children last year.

I'm curious about the one first degree murder charge against one of the defendants. NY State reserves first degree murder for only specific murders like of a prison guard or for hire. Maybe it includes the murder of a child under a certain age or the murder as a means to obstruct justice. I guess I need to go look it up.

One of the victims AND one of the killers were dwarves?

Were the killers on drugs? What sort of rage would have to be built up to slash children’s throats?

[quote]One of the victims AND one of the killers were dwarves?

WHAT? Didn't read this.

Drugs.

R132, read it again. The younger woman victim was mentioned as having dwarfism.

The older alleged killer looks like a little person from the photo.

This cannot be coincidence.

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The one perp looks like Ashy Larry.

This shit is bananas. B - A - N - A - N - A -S with the Matt Damon dwarf. This is why I can’t quit DL

Maybe the younger one had offered him her firstborn in exchange for him spinning straw into gold and she then reneged?

Remember this case?

What a weird looking apartment house. Looks like a 1950s boarding house.

Did you see the video? The one in the white germ outfit is very jumpy.

The guy on the left is not a dwarf?

Upstate NY towns are always calling themselves "the new Brooklyn."

I met a woman at a party who had bought a house in Hudson, having been sold the idea that it was the next Brooklyn and an artist colony. Poor thing couldn't unload the house and she was beside herself. She thought she was an early adopter but she was just another gullible person that real estate agents hoodwinked.

[quote]The younger woman victim was mentioned as having dwarfism.

Yes, this was obviously state, but the killer? Did you get a height measurement, as well? Looking "off" doesn't necessarily mean dwarfism and it has not been stated in any news reports as of yet that I've seen.

The two kids were so cute. What a horrible story.

R113, you do know this is DL, right? 2+2 does = 6 on this site lol.

What happens in someone’s life that leads them down a path that ends in slashing a family’s throats?

r145 I know, especially that little boy, this fucking sickens me and even worse is that the guys who did it were caught right away and so you wonder what the fucking point was?

Lots of dumb vicious people walking around.

Weve got 2 generations of home grown sociopaths. How does someone become so unfeeling that they could cut the throats of children ??? I cant imagine the terror those poor people went through.

Troy isn't nice looking. Kind of scary

Yet you go into that house R151 and its full of mahogany woodwork and stained glass ! There are some amazing homes there,it was a very wealthy town at the turn of the 20th century.My late husbands brother lived in a victorian mansion that had been converted into apartments,and the 1st time we went over I was blown away at the details. His apartment was the whole second floor,and even had a little glass conservatory with marble floors. The winters(and the poverty) there were just brutal,and when my husband died I was grief stricken but part of me was ecstatic,as I could get the hell out of there and go home to florida!

[quote] The Matt Damon one was a dwarf! Very Damonesque

What’s Damonesque about a dwarf?

[quote] especially that little boy,

What made the equally innocent little girl relatively less sympathetic or less valuable to you? Such a strange sentiment when two little ones are taken away prematurely, as though one might've gotten more money at a pawn shop or something.

r154 I know, I just was so taken by that little boy's smile, of course they are equally valuable.

It's Ok. I'm being touchy because this is so heartbreaking and still hard to fathom. I hope they were crazed out of their minds on drugs because I can't understand the throat slashing. The two don't look like tweakers or heavily done in by drugs.

I hope this isn't a case of just arresting the first two black guys they could get their hands on.

Learning that one of the women had dwarfism makes it even worse somehow. What would make you slash the throats of a lesbian midget and her family?

What a nightmare for the surviving son.

[quote] What would make you slash the throats of a lesbian midget and her family?

Refusal to join one's circus and/or sideshow?

Very little information on the 22 year-old girlfriend. Were any of her family in court? It appears she was acquainted with at least one of the suspects.

Yes, R159, they were. You only needed to read what's already been posted. You're welcome.

Agree, R109.

How long had Mells been in the picture? Trying to catch up...

I'm guessing gang involvement of the teen who was sent to live with family out of town. MS-13 is known for slashing throats in the East Coast cities where I have lived, and they don't hesitate to kill little kids. Will be surprised if it's not gang & drug related.

Mells was only a few years older than the teen, seems a little odd.

Very sad, may they RIP.

R161, one of the articles mentioned that they had been together for about a year. The older woman's sister said that Shanta hadn't been coming around to family get-togethers since the relationship started. Worried about her family's reaction to being lesbian? The little one, Shanise, reminds me of Janet as Penny on Good Times. Those poor kids and the terror they must've felt makes me want to cry. I really feel for the devastated family and friends left behind. Such a hard grief. I'm not even religious but this would send me to church.

FWIW, the Daily Mail is reporting that the 22 year old knew one of the assailants.

R162 two black guys were arrested. MS13 is a Mexican gang whose history began in California and now they've become well known in the states, and Canada.

Bet it was over a debt.

All the people from NYC that have to move because they can't afford to live there anymore are moving to the Philadelphia/South Jersey area in record numbers every year.

Could still be gang and or drug related.

Middle aged mom with 3 kids maybe should have steered clear of a troubled 21 year old?

It didn't sound like the mom and the girlfriend were together for that long. The 15-year old moved out 2 months ago to live with the mother's sister. I was wondering if he did this because the 22-year old girlfriend moved in.

So was he the prior boyfriend of the dwarf? It's like Twin Peaks, but way sadder.

The guy in white is the one on parole? Do we know his crime?

No one who could do this to children is safe around other humans. That is some Rwanda, demonic level of savagery.

Not bible thumpers, sorry to disappoint those upthread.

Really depressing to think that they probably killed the kids & gf in front of the mother and then finished her off.

The older son looks older than 15. Could still be drug and gang related. Curious how mom met the dwarf. Was the son hanging out with an older crowd? Did he have a connection to the killers? His distance and timing of his departure, mid-semester could have been concerns for HIS safety.

Parents dating often seems to bring danger into kids' lives, man or woman or little person.

Yeah I too am wondering how the mom met the 22 year old...maybe work or something.

According to the article R88 posted, they met in a bar when the 22-year-old was 19.

The younger woman worked at a homeless shelter and then Sonic. The pastor knew the family well but not her, so they did not meet there.

The mom and older boy look way older than their ages. I'm wondering if he ran with an older crowd and if the younger needed a place to live. Had to be crowded. The younger woman and possibly the teen were links to the killers.

No serial killer, PP, just soulless thugs.

You made me laugh r137.

I too think the son looks much older than 15. Odd to read his comments in the media saying he’ll miss them, etc. Not saying he’s involved at ALL but dude seems kind of calm.

I think the message was intended for him, and it was received.

He was gotten out of Dodge, but they were sitting ducks. I don't foresee a long life for him, either. Hope the family that took him in knew what they were getting into.

So her kids were 12, 8 and 2 and she took up with a 19 year old dwarf with really dangerous associates?

A vibrator is safer ladies, until the kids grow up.

Still feels like some pieces are missing. What kind of "friends?"

According to the sister, the woman was good hearted abd layed back. She was probably an easy mark or oblivious about the company the girlfriend may have kept. Who knows? Either if them may have known the guys from work or the street and were only acquaintances.

R165, MS-13 is specifically a gang from El Salvador. They do business with Mexican gangs, but they’re not Mexican.

Years ago, I found an amazing two bedroom in an area in Los Angeles that was ran by MS-13. I rented the apartment, because I just adored it. When I told my father about it, he said that the area was gang infested, and that I needed to seriously reconsider. So I drove out there that night, parked my car, and walked around the neighborhood. I spoke to several “look-outs” that they had positioned at several corners, and told them my situation (in Spanish). They were surprisingly very candid with me, and when I asked if they would want their little sister moving into the area, they all said no. I went home and called the landlord, and got my money back the following day.

But they were all Salvadorian. And they’re hardcore.

Interesting footnote: there are documented cases of MS-13 members taking off to the Middle East, and joining ISIL. As far as I am aware of, one member was half Syrian, and half El Salvadorian, and the others were full on Salvadorian. Two have been killed.

If I'm reading right, the mom and kids got evicted and they moved into the basement with the younger woman, recently. There wasn't space for the teen so he was farmed out.

The younger woman hung out a lot with the younger murders, according to family.

Life must have been so stressful for those kids. The younger was trying to find gifts for them on FB. Neither woman had a car.

From the description of the scene in DB, are they hinting that one or both was raped?

The report said one of the two perpetrators knew the victims, which falls in line with normal murders where a large percentage of victims knew the perpetrator (domestic violence, family squabbles, etc.). This plastering of MS13 gang murders is not based statistically. This come from fear mongering trolls infiltrating this blog. Could be Russian, or just the deplorables. While murders by MS13 gangs are horrific, statistically are not prevalent. Read above posters, they state '2 years ago a murder by MS13' only shows they are not a large percentage of murders, and not frequent. Most crimes are over 70% committed by men, lock 'em up and neuter them.

Use facts folks. Facts.

Most MS-13 killers are, in fact, men.

[quote] man or woman or little person.

Is little person now a third sex?

What people don’t seem to understand, is that MS-13 is STILL headquartered in El Salvador. They terrorize El Salvadorians, along with other Central Americans. Many families flee from El Salvador with their young children as a result. This gang will approach an 11 year old boy and tell him that he has to join the gang and work for them. They don’t give them a choice. Either help run drugs, or die.

This thread is evidence that DL will manage to find a way to involve Matt Damon in every thread.

We bought a zoo!

The article at r180 is heartbreaking.

It's gruesome. These people were poor. And I doubt that is a legal apartment there, in "the basement".

Yes it is.

They were in dire straights financially. The sister says the mom was to come and spend Christmas with her 3 kids, but other relatives said she did not have bus fare. There were no gifts for the kids, yet they were supposedly in Boys and Girls club programs, why was the girlfriend on Facebook, not reaching out to that organization? Why did the mom not reach out to her church? Why was the mom unemployed, evicted and looking for a fresh start? Drugs are likely to be involved here in one or more ways. Poor and getting poorer.

One of the articles I read earlier today said that the older boy who had moved out is terrified because he *knows* he is scheduled to be next. Gangs and/or drugs for sure.

Sure sounds that way, R195.

Where is the picture from, R193?

The mom was unemployed and evicted. There is more to come out there too.

What her sister is saying doesn't add up.

Let's hope the family and police are aware and will ensure the eldest son's safety.

The sister seems to have her act together. Wonder if the mother (her murdered sister) was the problem child in the family - always fucking up and looking to others to clean up the mess. She appeared inconsolable when they interviewed her. Could the sister & her kids have gone to live with her or the other countless number of family and friends, or was there a reason an arrangement like that would not have worked out? I'm wondering if she moved in with the gf out of desperation, but knowing it was not the best situation for her and her children. It seems as if she was not aware of or chose not to use resources (shelter, welfare, child support, charities) that would have been available to her. Sounds like they were messy people.

When your faced with cold,dark streets,that awful basement would seem like a palace. Those children were so cute,and the mother had a sweet face ,the thought of the horror they endured genuinely sickens me. I thought I was long immune to feeling like that. Wether there was drugs involved or whatever,nobody deserves to die like that.I still say the teen boy is the reason this happened.

r173, they met on Plenty of Fish. She caught a minnow.

Could be. It wouldn't be surprising.

It's also possible that one of the women owed those men $$$.

The younger murderer was said to always hang around the younger woman, so could be the son had no involvement. Possible motives? Gang, drugs, $, sex?

Huge tragedy all around.

The deceased had no $ for bus fare so how did her sister expect to spend Christmas with her and her kids? Did anyone hear the sister mention Brandi? I could have missed it. Was the son sent away for safety or space? Was he angry?

R200 it appears the mom and kids had been evicted earlier this year from their own home so they went to live with the mom's girlfriend.

There wasn't enough space for the 15-year old so he went to live with the mom's sister.

Thanks, R201. Such a shitty, chaotic year for those kids and such a horrific tragedy.

The mom seemed like a mess and to have distanced herself from prior supports and church/job stability after taking up with the teen gf, or it could have been other reasons. Not sure how many dads were involved, or if she tried to get them to help re the kids. The 11 year old seems like the stereotype of a kid who tries to charm his way out of a bad home life. The 15 year old looks way older than his years. So tragic, closing in on Christmas with no gifts and then brutality.

I have bad feeling more horrifying details are yet to come.

Elsewhere this holiday season, winning! for the super rich!

Obsessive clowns like r203 are just sad.

R183 Dude learn your facts. MS 13 was created in LA in the 1980's by immigrants from El Salvador.

Wtf, R195? Where did you read the son is terrified because he knows he's next? I've read a shitload of articles and none of them said anything like this. Sounds like made up bullshit.

MS 13 runs the prisons in El Salvador.

Getting back to the topic of Matt Damon...

Street gangs aren't the problem, knives and white people are the problem.

I read a few local newspaper stories and read that the surviving boy said he was terrified. But that might have been before the arrest.

I think it has not been mentioned when the killings happened - how long they were dead before discovery?

R210, they are thought to have died the night of December 21st.

Most rational people who stab four people don't go looking for surviving family members.

I don't buy that story at all.

I read the quote that he is worried they are coming for him next. I believe that was before the arrests.

He could have nothing to do with it or his family could be deflecting for his safety. His cousin was the one who told media that the murderer often hung out with Brandi. Time will tell. They were so financially pressed, that could have set something in motion too...

"MS 13 runs the prisons in El Salvador."

Dreamers dream big

Associates of the kind of people who tie the hands of little children and then slit their throats might, R212.

r215 tell it to r206, who is highly skeptical

What is worth killing four people for, in such a sadistic way... this story sickens me.

Thanks for those who posted follow-ups.

[quote] What is worth killing four people for, in such a sadistic way.

What indeed. Days later STILL no motive offered.

Remember these family murders?

They may have done it for kicks. Penised persons are prone to such inexplicable acts of savagery.

-Erna

Stinkfish

Dear God, R219. I had not heard of that case. Those poor people.

In this case they were not strangers though.

May they all RIP.

Yet DB continues to walk free...

Why would the son know he is next to be killed when the murderer was a friend of the younger woman, not a friend of his mother? Doesn't sound like it's related to the older boy at all. Sounds like the murderers knew one person and killed the others just because they were there. They'd be stupid to try to find the older boy and kill him, too ---even if he was a target -- after murdering 4 people.

"You know the cops will be looking for us because we killed those 4 people. So the next thing we should definitely do find and kill the kid who wasn't there."

The gf could have known what was coming and moved the mother and kids in with her thinking they would never come after her because of the children.

What a shitshow it must have been in that apartment that night. I wonder did the guys broke in or did one if the occupants open the door and all hell broke loose. I also wonder why none of them had defensive wounds. Maybe the guys told them to remain calm and they wouldn't hurt them. Also curious why none of the neighbors in the house haven't said anything. Did anyone hear or see anthing?

If it is true that he hung around Brandi a lot, the teen would have known him. We don't know motive yet.

Brandi's mother lived in the house above.

There is a lot yet to come out. You raise good points, R224, that is why drugs and gangs can't be ruled out. The mom distancing from family, church, etc, could be due to gf, but with homelessness, joblessness, etc, other factors could be in play. It's horrible.

Brandi's mom likely called the property manager since she would know him or her, also living there. Still seems odd that they were dead for days.

Lansingburgh

Commonly referred to as "Lansingbronx", Lansingburgh is the name of the neighborhood that predominantly makes up the northern end of Troy, NY. Once a safe, family friendly neighborhood, Lansingburgh has become home to many of Troy's lowest common denominators. The high school is a breeding ground for crime and the senseless muggings and beatings take place on a seemingly daily basis. Most of the population is looking for trouble at any given time and making life increasingly difficult for the hard-working everyman who is simply trying to make it by. Walking through the Burgh at night is not an advisable action, especially unarmed.

Lansingburgh used to be a petty decent place, but it's gone to hell in a hand-basket since then.

This story only got reported because the suspects were not known to be black yet.

Black on black homicides only make the local newspapers.

FB.......

Just a kid...

FB....note the name

The mom was said to work as a bus aide, at a homeless shelter and Sonic. What did Brandi do?

Who lived in the apt with Brandi previously? Was someone moved out for them to move in? Was money owed? Pretty tweak as a FB name and lots of smoke in posted snaps - did she or the mom upstairs owe anyone $$$?

Older son's safety "a concern." Wonder if that is still the case, quote prior to arrests...

One FB page indicates B worked at Ruby Tuesdays. Not much $$ for 4 people. Lots of mj smoking on her FB, big bag of it too.

Can't rule out drug/money related.

No presents for the kids, and no plan for accessing an adopt a family program, etc, just last minute scrambling...but they seemed to care about the kids?

Did the murderers lock up? Go in and out a window? Are stories and timelines consistent? If the older son was in town, why weren't people more concerned that they didn't answer the door or call?

satan strikes again

He seems annoyed this arrest might prevent him from watching Andy Cohen's New Year.

[Quote]Both suspects, who live in Schenectady, are being held without bail in Rensselaer County Jail and have criminal records.

Rule of thumb, never kick it with males who have an extensive police record. Even some of my college friends I have kicked to the curb because they are always being in constant litigation. Lots of poor people who don't lower themseves.

This is why they hate us.

Neither woman had a job at the moment.

Previously, the mom's life had seemed more stable, with family and church connections. Did B do more than smoke a lot of mj? Did she help stabilize the mom or drag her down? Huge age difference for a mom of young kids.

From FB, Brandi indicated a relationship in April 2015. The mom and kids had very recently moved in after eviction. Brandi was the connection to the convict/murderer. She had a lease, but no income. I would have guessed it would be the other way around, with the mom having more stability for the kids, so sad. The mom looks decades older than her age, a hard life, then such brutality. The murderers didn't live in Troy, wonder how he met Brandi? As a dwarf she must have stood out. How did that relationship turn so fast? Did they think she had $ hidden? They would seem to be a pretty easy target, a dwarf, an older lady and young kids.

Wonder when we will hear a motive?

If Mann was released in June, did Mells know him before prison (2014)? Otherwise she knew him for less than 6 months?

Tragic that he got early release...

"Mann is currently on parole, police said. According to New York Department of Corrections records, Mann was convicted of robbery in 2014 and sentenced to five years in prison. He was paroled in June 2017. His supervision by the DOC is set to expire in 2019. “I never seen him before a day in my life, neither of them,” Shanta Myers’ nephew Khalif Coleman told The Daily Beast. “But some of my family members recognize him as Brandi’s friend. He supposedly always hung out with her.”

[quote]or are NYC problems moving upstate

This kind of comment fascinates me — you hear it all the time.

I remember there was yet another crazed Middle American serial killer who buried women in barrels on his farm property and when the crime was being discussed at the local diner, the waitress said, “I can’t believe it happened here — it’s the sort of thing that happens in New York City, not here.”

Well, no, it’s not the sort of thing that happens in New York City. It’s the sort of thing that almost invariably happens in middle America.

Many New York small city "downtowns" are absolute shit holes, from Beacon - Newburgh all the way up into the Adirondacks and all the way west to Buffalo.

It appears Brandi only met Mann after his release in June 2017, not long ago.

R244, was that a response to me?

So maybe Brandi just met him. She let her guard down because he accepted her as a little person and genuinely liked to hang out, but she started to see his dark side and backed away, or he pulled her into something she couldn't get out of or he thought she had double-crossed him. His sidekick went along as his ride or die.

People had speculated that the killer may have had a past romantic relationship with one of the victims but it appears Brandi had not known Mann long. That is why I mentioned his arrest and release dates. Shame about the early release.

I imagine more of a motive will be released.

"Ride or die" is a bit callous when little kids had their throats cut.

Who could have imagined in the 70's or 80's that NYC would be the only good thing about New York?

If she didn't know him long it's possible Mann tried to initiate something sexual with Brandi and she turned him down. The killings weren't simple and quick, which usually implies anger.

Guy does look like he has mental issues or some sort of imbalance. They should have been done interrogating and securing statements from the suspects by now.

The funerals will be overwhelming for the families. My heart goes out to them. Imagine having to tell the kids' classmates they are never coming back.

You seem to have a dim imagination R250. This is not the action of a spurned gentleman caller.

R252 = The Senatrice

R252 Simple explanations are often correct. A straight man once ripped a woman's intestines out because she said the wrong name during sex. I would put nothing past one when it comes to his ego being wounded.

r254 that ain't really in the occam's razor category

Wait, the timeline on this is pretty fucked up.

They were discovered on the 26th, right? By the landlord, who was called by the older woman's sister after not arriving at said sister's house for Xmas.

But police are saying they were killed on the 21st! How the fuck did nobody have contact with them from the 21st until the 26th and yet not call police or go to the house themselves?

Really, why the fuck wouldn't the sister have called police after the Xmas no-show? Wasn't the oldest boy concerned about their absence?

Something very very dark went down and I'm thinking it had been going down for awhile thus the isolation.

What's makes it even more strange is that the younger woman's mother lived upstairs, R256. Supposedly she came downstairs to knock on the door, but it's unclear how many times.

An aside- her scrambling for Christmas presents for the kids at the last minute....we’ve adopted a family for years through agencies and the trend now is dwindling participation from individual needy families, probably due to the intense paperwork and hoop-jumping to prove they’re stable and compliant with rules.

I don’t think this was planned.

I believe that this happened at a spur of the moment, and was initiated by a man who did not know how to manage conflict or confrontation in a constructive way. Someone in the group, most probably Mann, did not like being told or asked to comply with a simple request . The request? Please go home. Please leave.

I think that Mann and his friend probably showed up unexpectedly, in the middle of the night. They had drugs, and needed a place to do them. The women let them in. The kids were sleeping. The adults did the drugs, and the sun was coming up. One of the kids woke up, and as a result, one or both of the women asked the men to leave. One of the men didn’t like the way he was spoken to, and struck one of the women, now waking up the other kid. The kids started screaming, and that was it. Mann flipped out & killed someone, and went ahead and killed the rest because he couldn’t leave any witnesses. In his head, he has two choices. Kill all of them, or go back to jail.

I have seen situations like this before. Not resulting in murder, thankfully, but I have witnessed situations where people’s go to solution was violence. It was out of place, a surprise, and incongruous to the circumstances, yet there it was. Not surprisingly, when I saw instances of this behavior, it came from a very specific personality type, and specifically from people who had been incarcerated for previous violent crimes.

They had their throats slashed because a knife was the weapon available. Had they had a gun, Mann would have shot them. This happened very quickly, and was extremely violent. Mann probably killed them all. I believe the other perp was as terrified as the women and the kids.

The children were killed because they witnessed the initial crime, throat slashing of an adult.

This wasn’t a robbery, or rape. This was irrational thinking and violence from a man who was raised to live like an animal.

Unfortunately, I have seen some pretty fucked up shit in my life. Here’s a Rule I live by, and I don’t give a fuck who judges me for it: NEVER become close to, or befriend a man who has done hard time for a violent crime, like armed robbery. Sounds very obvious, I know. You’d be surprised how many people don’t follow that rule. If both of these women had followed that rule, they might be alive.

I’m not victim blaming either. But you just can’t befriend violent felons. They can and will hurt you or kill you under the right circumstances, even if they really like you.

Inspector Grissom @ r260 is right.

I like R260's logical analysis and unflinching candor. Rarely seen from the libtards on this site.

Libtards?

What about his slavish conjecture?

I have to wonder if one of those women was "slow?" mentally. Everyone talks about how sweet she was and so kind etc. but she may have been a mentally slow, open, friendly, trusting soul who responded to kindness and probably experienced her fair share of bullying for suffering from dwarfism.

When we're talking about this level of extreme poverty there are predators all around. The "alleged" killers probably thought they might find something, food, shelter drugs money, etc. They aren't real smart people. And no one who is rational would commit such horrific crimes. If those people were believed to have been murdered on the 21st and no one noticed it until the 25th, I have to wonder if the murderers stayed in that house after the killings. I also have to wonder who snitched them out.

Everybody probably turned them in when it was made known they had killed the children by slitting their throats. That's fucking dark.

Just the one, slow? Horrible scenario. Collective IQ of the 4 adults present probably below 300.

R260, sounds about right, but rape added in would not shock me.

Another scenario - he wanted to use with Mells, there are drugs all over her social media - rather than the men having drugs and needing a place. When high, one of the guys may have wanted sex, and things spiraled out from there.

Brandi's mom may have travelled to NJ for Christmas, that wasn't clear to me.

I think motive will end up being drugs, $$$, sex, or a combo. So sad.

What was up with Shanta those last weeks? Brandi seemed to be scrambling. Shanta had family and formerly had a church. Did she fall apart after the eviction? So tragic and such a waste. I don't know how the 15 year old goes on from here...

Probably one of the women stiffed one of the guys on a drug deal. NYC/Newark blacks sell heroin in every suburb within 400 miles of NYC.

It's in the local news every day, somewhere in upstate NY or New England.

"NYC Men arrested with $10k worth of heroin and crack in Mayberry. Local Slut Also Arrested, Her Two Mulatto Babies Are In State Custody"

Or it could have been another family member who owed and this is the "message."

Very sad.

I expect that one or both women were raped as well.

Fortunately we have so much other evidence that black lives matter greatly to black people.

Facts:

1: The two women had no legitimate jobs, but paid their bills 2: The two women loved drugs, which are also expensive 3: The women enjoyed the company of jailbirds 4: The women and kids were executed in dramatic fashion, as is common with drug gangs

Conclusion: 1: The chances of the women being involved in drug dealing is high

Particularly Mells.

Shanta had a very different life it appeared, before her, but a middle aged mom who takes up with a teen druggy gf, after living as a straight woman, is likely indulging too. Mells being the one with paid rent is the inverse of what is expected.

They had $ but not much and less than previously. What changed when they were pressed and to make them pressed?

The teen's fear in this context makes perfect sense.

None of the above makes this not a horrible tragedy.

Why all the conjecture when the truth will come out soon enough?

Why all the gossip and speculation on a gossip site?

Did either of these ladies work as a soft butch sous chef a few years ago?

Maybe the perps never talk and nothing will be clarified all that much. Unless the one turns on the other for a deal.

Snitches get stitches. That's the foundation of black society

The perps look too dumb to process what they did.

It fucking better be r279, or I am fucked!

The basement apartment that the victims were found in is one of five in the home. Wonder if the other apartments were occupied.

Excuse me? 5 basement apartments? Or 5 total? Its already been stated that the MOTHER of one was upstairs in an apartment.

Agree with r260

R277, R74 wondered the same thing.

R283, there must have been 5 total. I don't think that house could contain 5 basement apartments.

You guys are making way too much and reading way too much into this.

This wasn’t planned. They didn’t owe these men money. This wasn’t some gang enforcement, sending out a message.

This was two men who probably had no vehicles. They were poor and broke and had no where to go and get high. They went over to the victims’ home, because they needed a place to party.

Something didn’t go the way one of the perps liked, and he killed them.

It was a brutal and senseless crime. This is why you don’t befriend felons. They rarely have anything to live for, and nothing to lose.

It doesn't appear anyone ratted them out. They were seen on a security camera:

Reportedly, investigators were able to narrow down the list of suspects to Mann and White after reviewing security camera footage from the city of Troy.

r288 does this mean the black community will be rioting and demanding the release of thugs?

The black community would have protected these thugs

So probably the two guys attempted to assault the younger woman then the older one intervened? They both got killed The children were unfortunately, just innocents witnesses . Really sad for the 2 kids who from what i read were both spunky and lovable.

They were probably abusing the kids. Good riddance.

I hope someone finds out where u live r289 and kills you and your loved ones. Racist fag.

You could call R289 out on their racism without being a homophobic assh*le, R292. Did you get lost? This is gay site.

r292 would have protected these baby stabbers.

Anything new for the new year? Any tit bits?

Unrelated to the crime, but I found it refreshing how thoroughly the article about this at the Daily Beast ( r180 ) gave so many personal details about the victims, the women and kids. Humanized them, and drew a reasonably vivid portrait of the lives lost.

Even a few years ago this wouldn't be a part of the narrative, there'd be mostly grisly details about the murder itself and the suspects. Or they would highlight the sad dour lifestyle lived by the victims. Gay women and POC who are crime victims never used get the same treatment - journalistically - that white ones so. This was a positive change if still an awful crime was committed.

[quote] Something didn’t go the way one of the perps liked, and he killed them.

I imagine if the killing was done on impulse it would be by stabbing, at least of the first victim. But slashed throats seem premeditated to me - you'd probably have to tie someone first or hold them tight before doing it.

Off topic, Jesus 183. You moved into a known gang territory apartment then chatted up the gang members? What neighborhood? I’m curious.

So.

....

Nothing else on this case??

It may have been over an Xbox

Thanks for the update, R303.

I still wonder if they were let into the apt, and why?

Is there any punishment harsh enough to fit this crime? You slit peoples throats over a fucking GAME? Really,the best outcome is to hang these pieces of shit in public,and make sure its a slow painful death and hope it makes other sociopaths think twice. The scary part is theres millions out there just like these two.Im more worried about the likes of them than I am some middle eastern terrorist!

Thanks r303. It’s so sad reading what that woman posted online looking for Christmas gifts for her kids saying that anything helps. How horrific if these guys found out they got a new tv / video game system, and came to steal it. Then it just turned horrible.

It's been done before.

Totally agree, R305

Not to excuse them r307 but at least those people knew the occupants of the house and they weren't fucking little kids.

This story and the one about the 4 year old girl beaten, choked, raped and sexually assaulted by her young brother haunt me. Life is fragile and precious. Five dead between the cases, 3 very young kids. For what???! So 3 men can now spend decades in prison and come out even more dangerous?! The poor older son is going to have intense survivor guilt. What a waste of 8 lives. I hope the 3 never get out, they place no value on human life.

I agree r310 and when people say that someone should get out of prison now for murder (like the Menendi) because they were young and they only have one life, I think what about the fucking life they took? You can't use the "life is precious" line without applying it on the other side, if life is so precious, don't fucking throw yours away by taking someone else's.

Black people going nuts over a co-leur TV seems um reductive.

From the Daily Beast link

"Two upstate New York men accused of butchering a Troy family just days before Christmas were indicted on murder charges Friday.

James White, 38, and Justin Mann, 22, pleaded not guilty during their arraignment Friday afternoon in Rensselaer County. They’re being held without bail.

Both men are charged with nine counts of first-degree murder; four counts of second-degree murder; first-degree burglary; and first-degree robbery.

They also face two counts of criminal possession of stolen property—listed in the 17-count indictment as an Xbox system and flat-screen television."

How are there nine counts of first-degree murder for four victims?

Eight counts makes sense but where's the extra, one, murder coming from?

Maybe victims under a certain age carry a greater charge?