The older brother of New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who was arrested in connection to the death of a music producer found dead in the NFL star’s New Jersey home, has an extensive rap sheet.
William Jenkins, is charged with aggravated manslaughter in the death of Roosevelt Rene, 25, who produced music under the name ‘Trypps Beatz.’ Both William and Rene were living in the NFL star’s Fair Lawn home.
Police say Rene was found dead in the basement, and he may have been strangled.
William, 34, has a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, two burglaries, grand theft, and several convictions on criminal sales of a controlled substance.
In 2011, William was sentenced on his latest charge of criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was released form prison under a conditional parole release on July 18, 2016 after serving 63 months behind bars.
He was supposed to have been released almost a year later, in May of 2017.
The deadly incident happened Monday when William and Rene became involved in a ‘physical altercation’ inside Janoris’ beautiful home in the upscale New Jersey community, according to NJ.com.
New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins (pictured) was in Florida when his friend, music producer Roosevelt Rene, was found dead in his basement. His older brother, William Jenkins, has been arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter in connection
William Jenkins (pictured left in a current mugshot), the older brother of New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins, has been charged with aggravated manslaughter over the death of 25-year-old Roosevelt Rene (right)
Rene was found dead in the basement of Janoris’ home (pictured) in Fairlawn, NJ on Tuesday
Two mugshots from William Jenkins’ criminal past: A mugshot from a Florida arrest in 2004, left, and a mugshot from a previous New York arrest in 2009, right
Because of the alleged fight- William is facing aggravated manslaughter charges as opposed to murder charges.
In a statement from the Bergen County Acting Prosecutor Dennis Calo:
‘William Jenkins has been arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter, for the death of Roosevelt Rene. Jenkins is currently in custody in the Ontario County Jail in New York State.
The investigation, which is being conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Fair Lawn Police Department, is ongoing.’
William was arrested for parole violation in Ontario County, New York just before 2am on Tuesday – nine hours before the body was discovered in the basement of Janoris’ home in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
Ontario County is located more than 300 miles away from Fair Lawn.
Rene’s sister Arabruny Lindor (pictured) claims Jenkins’ brother was also staying there and had been arguing with her brother
William was taken into custody on the unrelated parole violation. Law enforcement revealed he was a person of interest in Rene’s death after the body was discovered.
The news comes after Rene’s sister Arabruny Lindor spoke to DailyMail.com, saying that her sibling had been arguing with Jenkins’ brother in the days before his death.
Rene was discovered by a house worker at the residence located on 14 Van Saun Place in Fair Lawn on Tuesday.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported police are investigating ‘a possible strangulation/suffocation as the cause of death,’ citing law enforcement sources.
In a phone interview with DailyMail.com, Lindor said her brother had moved into the home of his friend, Jenkins, to work on his music, and that the football player’s brother was also staying there.
Jenkins also dabbles in music in his free time, performing under the stage name Rabbit.
Together, Jenkins and Rene collaborated on a hip hop track titled ‘Hood Jumpin,’ which was released in March. A photo that was posted on the producer’s Instagram page around that time shows Rene sitting next to the cornerback.
‘Friday I called him and he had locked himself in the bathroom and said he had been having trouble with Janoris’ brother and that they had been arguing,’ Lindor claimed. ‘He was jealous of Janoris’ friendship with my brother.’
The woman said she instructed her brother to speak to her in Creole, in case William was listening to their conversation from the other side of the door.
‘I FaceTimed him Monday and he looked worried,’ Lindor said of her brother. ‘I told him to get out of there. He had a real stress on. That was the last time I spoke to my brother.’
ESPN reported on Tuesday that a man claiming to be Janoris Jenkins’ brother boarded a flight bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Monday, but at the last moment decided to get off the plane.
Lindor wrote in the description of a GoFundMe campaign that the 25-year-old was on the verge of a major career breakthrough at the time of his death.
This photo from March shows Rene (right) and Janoris Jenkins (left) together. Rene produced a hip hop track for the star player, who performs on the side under the stage name Rabbit
Lindor (left) said she last spoke to her brother (right) via FaceTime on Monday and urged him to leave Jenkins’ house. The woman said her brother seemed stressed
Working under the stage name Trypps Beatz, Rene produced music for Gucci Mane, Kodak Black and Curren$y, among others.
The Giants cornerback was not in New Jersey on Tuesday and has been staying in his native Florida. ESPN reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources, that the 29-year-old player has been advised by attorneys to remain in Florida.
Lindor said as the only boy among seven children, Rene was universally loved and was her best friend.
‘He never had a problem with anyone,’ she told DailyMail.com. ‘Everyone loved him.’
Lindor wrote on the GoFundMe page that Rene was very smart and confident, also had a smile on his face and his greatest passion in life was creating beats. The sister said the young music producer wanted to help their family and get their mother a new car.
A source told ESPN a man claiming to be the cornerback’s brother boarded a JetBlue flight from Newark to Fort Lauderdale Monday night to allegedly meet Jenkins.
The individual said Jenkins’ brother, however, got off of the plane ‘because he was too scared to fly.’ The incident reportedly resulted in flight delays.
Prosecutors previously said the victim did not reside at the home, but later released an update suggesting Rene had moved in recently.
Jenkins home in Fairlawn, New Jersey is shown, where the man’s body was found early Tuesday in the basement
Prosecutors and police in Bergen County are currently investigating the possible homicide
Further investigation is currently underway. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
The football star purchased the Fair Lawn home for $500,000 in 2016, according to NJ.com.
The Giants made Jenkins one of the NFL’s highest-paid cornerbacks in 2016, when they signed him to a five-year, $62.5 million contract, with $28 million in guarantees.
In 2017, Jenkins season was ended prematurely by an ankle injury.
Coming off a playoff berth and an 11-5 record in 2016, the Giants sank to 3-13 in 2017 as head coach Ben McAdoo was fired and ultimately replaced with Pat Shurmur. Jenkins will be answering to new defensive coordinator James Bettcher this season.
The football star purchased the Fair Lawn home for $500,000 in 2016. He is seen above in February 2017 in Houston, Texas