Police in Buffalo, N.Y., say a 34-year-old man has been charged with murder in connection to the killing of a Six Nations man and his partner last week.
The couple, Jordan Celotto, 37, and Michael (Mickey) Harmon, 40, were found dead in their Allentown residence on March 4 at around 4:30 p.m, according to police. Buffalo’s acting mayor, Christopher Scanlon, said the cause of death was blunt force trauma.
“As we’ve come to realize, the nature of these crimes is truly horrific, the senseless and violent nature of them is something that we cannot and will not stand for here in the City of Buffalo,” Scanlon said during a March 7 press conference announcing the charges.
A 34-year-old of no fixed address was charged with one count of first degree murder and two counts of second degree murder, police said.
Man was attempting to break into other homes, police say
The chief of detectives for Buffalo police, Craig Macy, said at the news conference the man was not known to Celotto or Harmon.
Macy said the person was in the neighbourhood for 45 minutes trying to enter other homes. “The suspect also was found to be trying to get into multiple vehicles in the same time period,” he said.
Erie County district attorney Michael Keane said the person “unlawfully entered into the victims’ home” that morning and struck them both in the head with a blunt object.
Scanlon added that based on the police investigation, the attack was not targeted or hate-motivated.
Celotto and Harmon were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said previously a friend of the couple went over to the house after one of the victims failed to show up for work. The friend spotted someone with a knife and called 911. Officers who went to the scene saw a man who they said cut himself before dropping the knife.
The 34-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. He was discharged on Friday and charged.
“He faces a maximum sentence of life without parole if convicted,” said Keane, adding police are still investigating.
“I know this is a great loss to our community and it’s hard to make sense of this tragic crime.”
‘A tragedy we never expected’
Celotto was a member of the Onondaga Beaver family from Six Nations of the Grand River.
Celotto’s close friend Sophia Mafaje told CBC Hamilton last week that he grew up in the Niagara Region and was deeply connected to his home community in Six Nations. He was “an amazing artist” and “so loving,” she said.
Family friend Heather La Forme set up a GoFundMe page to help Celotto’s family “with the unexpected costs … to get him home to Sour Springs Longhouse” in Six Nations.
Almost $59,000 US of the $70,000 goal had been raised as of Wednesday morning.
Celotto’s death was “a tragedy we never expected nor prepared for,” La Forme wrote on the fundraising page.
Harmon also had a GoFundMe page set up for his funeral costs where it said he would be buried in Buffalo.
The couple were beloved and well known in the 2SLGBTQ+ and arts communities in Buffalo.
Dozens of tributes were posted by people in the U.S. city, and beyond, last week, including the Pride Center of Western New York, the Buffalo-Niagara LGBTQ History Project, where Harmon was a board member, and local café The Intersection.
“The impact they had in the queer community is immeasurable. They simply made the Buffalo, and specifically the Allentown community, where they called home, a better place for everyone,” the Pride Center wrote online.
A celebration of life for both Celotto and Harmon will be held at the Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo on March 22.
