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Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo -- who announced the arrest on Wednesday of William H. Jenkins Jr., 34, of Fair Lawn -- said Thursday that he and fellow music producer Roosevelt "Trypps Beatz" Rene, a Spring Valley native, got into an argument early Monday that “resulted in Rene’s death.”
Although Calo didn’t specify how Rene was killed, the charge against Jenkins – aggravated manslaughter – isn’t accompanied by a weapons charge, indicating that he allegedly killed him with his bare hands.
A worker found Rene's body in the basement the following morning and called police.
Jenkins -- an ex-con with a rap sheet that includes a stabbing -- remained in custody in the Ontario County Jail pending extradition proceedings.
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UPDATE (Wednesday, June 27): A hip-hop producer whose body was found in the Fair Lawn home of the New York Giants' Janoris Jenkins was killed by the player's brother, authorities said Wednesday.
William H. Jenkins, 34, was charged with aggravated manslaughter, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said.Jenikins was being held in the Ontario County Jail in New York State, Calo said.
Records show that William Jenkins was arrested on a parole violation about nine hours before the body of Roosevelt Rene, a 25-year-old producer known as Trypps Beatz, was found in the basement of the home where the victim lived with the Jenkins family.
Authorities in New Jersey charge defendants with aggravated manslaughter when they believe the death was caused by recklessness, or in the heat of passion -- during an argument or after otherwise being provoked -- as opposed to murder, which is an act carried out with prior intention to kill someone.
An investigation was continuing, Calo said, adding that he'll issue an official release Thursday.
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PREVIOUS STORY (Tuesday, June 26): A man whose body was found Tuesday afternoon at the Fair Lawn home of New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins was a hip-hop artist whom authorities described as a family friend who'd been living there.
Roosevelt Rene, a 25-year-old producer known as Trypps Beatz, was a friend of the Jenkins's family "and has been residing [at 14 Van Saun Place] of late," Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said.
"The investigation is continuing at this time and cause and manner of death will be determined by the Bergen County Medical Examiner’s Office after a post-mortem exam," Calo said.
Rene is a Spring Valley native whose family and he moved to upstate New York when he was 10.
On his website, he calls himself "a multi-talented hip-hop producer/artist" whose goal is "to enlighten the youth and others to be creative, have self-consciousness and inspire the world with their artistry and Hip-hop culture.”
On his Instagram page, he wrote that he’s “always plotting on the next mission….I don’t ever ask questions. I just hustle.”
Rene has worked with Jenkins, whose nickname is Jackrabbit, on recordings, according to the Pro Bowler's blog.
Jenkins was out of town -- apparently at his Florida home -- when a worker found Rene's body in the basement of the home at the corner of Newton Place around 10 a.m. Tuesday.
This comes after an incident Monday night when a man claiming to be Jenkins's brother got off a Jet Blue flight bound for Fort Lauderdale at Newark Airport, causing a four-hour delay, after saying that he was too scared to fly.
That was, indeed, Rene, a neighbor told Daily Voice moments after his photo was published in this story Tuesday night.
"He always parked his car in front of my house and hung out after getting his cigarettes at Morlot News and Food," she said. "He told us he was Jenkins's brother."
The New York Giants released a brief statement: “We are aware of and monitoring the situation.”
Homicide detectives with the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Crime Scene Unit, a member of the county Medical Examiner's Office and forensic investigators from the Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification -- which collects evidence -- joined Fair Lawn police at the scene.
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