A lesbian couple and two children were
found dead in their home in upstate New York on the day after
Christmas.
According to the Times Union,
police believe the victims were murdered on December 21.
The bodies of Shanta Myers, 36, and her
partner, Brandi Mells, 22, Jeremiah “JJ” Myers, 11, and Shanise
Myers, 5, were found in their Troy apartment on December 26. The
women, who got engaged last year, were found bound with their throats
slashed. JJ and Shanise were two of Myers' three children.
Prosecutors have charged two men with
the crime. Justin Mann has been charged with three counts of
second-degree murder and one count of first-degree murder, while
James White has been charged with four counts of second-degree
murder, the
Times
Union
reported.
At a press conference on Wednesday,
Troy Police Chief James Tedesco described the murders as an act of
“savagery” and said that evidence at the crime scene suggested
that the killings were “not a random act.”
Equality NY, a group that advocates for
greater LGBT rights, said in a tweet that it was “heartbroken and
angry.”
“One of our LGBTQI families, mom,
girlfriend, and two children, were found brutally murdered in Troy,
NY,” the group messaged. “We are heartbroken and angry.”
Neighbors and friends created an
impromptu memorial for the victims, leaving candles and stuffed
animals at the base of a tree outside their home.