Justin Mann and James White are charged with first-degree murder in the brutal slaying of a mother, her two children, and a female partner.
The victims were found bound and slashed to death in their Troy apartment on Dec. 26.
Two knives with the victims’ blood were reportedly recovered at the scene and are expected to be entered into evidence.
The accused pleaded not guilty.
Justin Mann is named as the first suspect in the proceedings.
James White is named as the second suspect in the case.
Family members, friends, and reporters were said to be present at the arraignment in City Court, Troy.
One of the accused “appeared to break down,” as he was escorted out of the court room, the Times Union wrote.
Law enforcement sources told the Times Union that the suspects were arrested in Schenectady, New York. Security camera footage was a factor in the suspects’ apprehension, sources said.
The bodies of Shanta Myers, 36, Brandi Mells, 22, and two of Myers’ three children—Shanise Myers, 5, and Jeremiah “JJ” Myers, 11—were discovered in their Troy apartment on Tuesday, Dec. 26.
The victims’ bodies were found on the day after Christmas.
Tedesco told Fox News that “certain factors were uncovered during the investigation” that may mean the killings were targeted.
“Give the information to the authorities so that they can help find the person who has destroyed us, emotionally, mentally,” Symes said. “It feels like somebody has ripped us to shreds.”
Symes also said she would raise Myers’s son, Isaiah Smith, in the wake of the horrific murders.
“It will be deeply felt by all his friends at the club and throughout the community.”
The locals in Troy, a city of 50,000 7 miles from the state capital of Albany, were shocked to learn about the murders. Before the murders discovered on Tuesday, there has been only two homicides in Troy all year. The annual average is six murders, Tedesco said, according to The New York Times.
“For someone to do this to two children is horrific,” Mark McGrath, a city council member, told Fox News. “I can’t even explain how people feel up here. We’ve had homicides here in the past, as all communities do, but children—it really, really has affected this community.”
The city’s mayor praised police and reached out on Twitter to comfort residents.
“Troy is a strong, resilient city that always comes together to support our neighbors & friends impacted by tragic incidents like this,” Madden wrote on Twitter. “The thoughts of our entire community remain with the victims’ families during this incredibly difficult time.”
