A Rensselaer County jury on Wednesday found James White guilty of murder and robbery, among other charges, in the December 2017 stabbing deaths of four people in Troy, according to County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly.
White, 42, was one of two men arrested four years ago in the slaying of Brandi Mells, 22, Shanta Myers, 36, Jeremiah Myers, 11, and 5-year-old Shaniese Myers.
The other suspect in the case, Justin C. Mann, pleaded guilty in April 2019 and is serving 25 years to life in prison.
White represented himself in the trial, which lasted about five weeks. A mistrial was declared in the first proceeding against White in 2020.
On Wednesday, Jerry Ford spoke for one of the victims’ family.
“We can breath now,” Ford said. “It’s been a long five weeks, and we can start the process of healing. We hold them in our hearts, especially the babies who would have been in the fourth and fifth grade by now.”
White is scheduled to be sentenced January 5 in Rensselaer County Court.
