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Police investigating possible murder at NFL player Janoris Jenkins’ home

A young music producer whose body was found, reportedly moved into NFL player's home in recent months

Chris Riotta
New York
Wednesday 27 June 2018 22:26 BST
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A body has been found at a New Jersey home where NFL player Janoris Jenkins lives
A body has been found at a New Jersey home where NFL player Janoris Jenkins lives

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Police are investigating the death of Roosevelt Rene, a 25-year-old music producer whose body was found inside NFL player Janoris Jenkins’ house in New Jersey.

Mr Jenkins, a member of the defence for the New York Giants, was in Florida when the body was discovered by a houseworker in his basement. The Bergen County prosecutor’s office major crime unit and Fair Lawn police department are treating the case as a possible homicide, sources told ESPN.

In a statement, the Giants said they were “aware of and monitoring the situation”.

Mr Rene was a hip-hop producer and artist who went by the stage name Trypps Beatz, as well as a family friend of the football player. He reportedly recently moved into the New Jersey residence where his body was discovered on Tuesday morning.

Later that night, a man claiming to be Mr Jenkins’ brother attempted to board a plane from Newark, New Jersey to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini.

Ms Russini tweeted that “the man caused delays because he was too scared to fly,” before he left the JetBlue flight.

Law enforcement sources told the NFL Network that Mr Rene’s possible cause of death was strangulation and suffocation.

“The manner of death will be determined by the Bergen County Medical Examiner’s Office after a post-mortem exam,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The NFL player was arrested in 2009 for his involvement in a physical altercation inside a Florida bar, and was charged twice with possession of marijuana in 2011.

A Fair Lawn police officer said law enforcement had never previously been called to Mr Jenkins’ home prior to this week.

Public records indicate Mr Jenkins purchased the New Jersey residence in 2016 for nearly $500,000.

The music producer’s Instagram page was flooded with comments on Wednesday morning, as people expressed shock and pain over his death.

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