VINELINK William Jenkins
William Jenkins, the brother of Janoris Jenkins, now stands accused in the death of a hip-hop producer, whose body was found in the home of the New York Giants football player, according to Bergen County prosecutors.
“#BCPONJ & @FairLawnPD announce William H. JENKINS, Jr. of Fair Lawn, charged: Agg. Manslaughter for death of Roosevelt Rene. JENKINS in custody in Ontario Co., NY. Investigation ongoing, unable to release further info. Charges merely accusations. Defendant presumed innocent,” the prosecutor’s office says.
#BCPONJ & @FairLawnPD announce William H. JENKINS, Jr. of Fair Lawn, charged: Agg. Manslaughter for death of Roosevelt Rene.
JENKINS in custody in Ontario Co., NY. Investigation ongoing, unable to release further info. Charges merely accusations. Defendant presumed innocent.
The New York Giants released a brief statement after the body was discovered that read, “We are aware of and monitoring the situation.”
The body of Roosevelt Rene AKA Trypps Beatz was found on the property that Janoris Jenkins owns in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed early on that the victim was a man but was not the owner of the home, according to TMZ. Janoris Jenkins appears to be acquainted with Rene, described as a family friend, through the hip-hop industry; off the football field, Janoris is known as a hip-hop artist named “Rabbit,” and Rene was a music producer.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. William Jenkins Was Arrested Shortly Before the Body Was Discovered
According to jail records, William Jenkins, 34, is in the custody of the Ontario County Sheriff’s Department. The records show that he was booked into custody on June 26, 2018 at 1:46 a.m. A 911 call alerted police to the death at the Jenkins’ home around 10:22 a.m. on Tuesday June 26, 2018, according to ABC 7.
101Wins confirmed that William Jenkins was arrested in upstate New York shortly before the body’s discovery. His full name is William Hawthorn Jenkins Jr. The arrest was for a parole warrant issue believed unrelated to Rene’s death, according to TMZ Sports and court records; the Ontario County DA told TMZ Sports “William Jenkins is a person of interest in relation to dead body case at his brother’s house. Bergen County wants to talk to him.”
Before Bergen County prosecutors announced they had charged William Jenkins in the death, they were looking at him as a person of interest.
“Janoris Jenkin’s 34 yr. old brother William Jenkins has been named a ‘person of interest’ in the investigation into death of Roosevelt Rene — the man found dead in Janoris’ house Tuesday morning,” Michael J. Babcock, a TMZ producer, tweeted, citing anonymous law enforcement sources, before the charges came down. William Jenkins was not considered a suspect at that point, TMZ reported; authorities just wanted to talk to him about the death to see what he knew.
On Father’s Day, Jenkins posted a photo on Instagram showing him with two siblings. You can see that photo above. According to an old profile story in the Sun Sentinel on him, Jenkins’ mother is named Denise Dent and his father is William Jenkins Sr. He also had a mentor, Sandy Cornelio, growing up. Denise Dent is Facebook friends with a younger William Jenkins. That page says William is from Janoris’ home town of Pahokee, florida, is single, lives in New York, and is self-employed. There is little else on it.
Authorities still haven’t released many details about how they believe Roosevelt Rene died.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweeted, “Per law enforcement sources, police are investigating a possible strangulation/suffocation as the cause of death in the case of the body found at Giants CB Janoris Jenkins’ home.” That account was not yet confirmed by authorities, however.
Janoris Jenkins was not even in the state when the body was found at his New Jersey residence, multiple news sites reported. Dianna Russini, an ESPN journalist, wrote on Twitter that Janoris Jenkins was out of the state when the body was discovered.
“Police sources have confirmed a body has been discovered on the property of Giants Janoris Jenkins in Fair Lawn, NJ. Jenkins is not in the state and has been in Florida since camp broke. He is aware as are the New York Giants. Told this is a homicide investigation,” she wrote.
TMZ also reported that Jenkins was not in the state at the time but was aware of the situation.
2. A Man Claiming to Be Janoris Jenkins’ Brother May Have Taken a Flight to Florida, Reports Allege
One strange twist in the case came when it was reported that a man claiming to be Janoris Jenkins’ brother tried to take a flight out of New Jersey before the death but panicked and caused a delay.
Dianna Russini, of ESPN, tweeted, “Also last night in NJ, a man claiming to be Janoris Jenkins’ brother was on a Jet Blue flight to Fort Lauderdale from Newark to allegedly meet up with Janoris. The man caused delays because he was too scared to fly according to witnesses I spoke to. He got off the plane #giants.” However, one neighbor claimed that man might really have been Roosevelt Rene. It remains unconfirmed.
@JetBlue 4 hour delay Newark to ft Lauderdale last night and zero compensation not acceptable rethinking my airline choice and now I find out Janoris Jenkins brother was on the flight causing even more delays with his antics and flipping out #compensation
The neighbor told The Daily Voice that it was Roosevelt Rene who was alleging to be Janoris Jenkins’ brother. “He always parked his car in front of my house and hung out after getting his cigarettes at Morlot News and Food,” the neighbor told the newspaper. “He told us he was Jenkins’s brother.”
The Daily Voice says the plane was delayed by four hours and reported that the neighbor claimed it was really Roosevelt Rene.
Janoris Jenkins repeatedly expresses the importance of family loyalty on Instagram, writing, “Keep the real ones around and eliminate the snakes ?, Loyalty since birth..”
Janoris Jenkins has had some trouble with the law throughout his career. In 2011, he was dismissed from the University of Florida football team, ESPN reported, after a marijuana possession arrest that was his second such offense in three months. Before that, he entered a deferred prosecution agreement after a fight and fleeing the police accusations. He has five children with four different women, a situation he has described as a “blessing.”
Dead body found at the home of New York Giants’ Janoris Jenkins, authorities say t.co/Jz5fgFmH23
Jenkins’ father is named William Jenkins Sr. Janoris’ father told The New York Post he advised his son, “If you have kids by different moms, you’re gonna have negative things in life, but as the father, you got to be the man and make sure your kids don’t get caught up in all that. Take care of your kids. They are first and foremost in your life.”
3. Jenkins’ Family Members Were Staying at the Home, Reports Say
GettyJanoris Jenkins while playing for the Giants.
Jenkins wasn’t in Florida, but his family members were shacking up at his home, reports allege. Russini also reported on Twitter that “Janoris Jenkins had family staying at that home…he had plans to return to New Jersey today to deal with this situation but he may stay in Florida. #Giants.” On Facebook, Janoris wrote, “Loyalty Respect Family.” Janoris Jenkins’ most recent social media post before the death was for a mansion pool party. However, that party was going to be held in Orlando.
It’s not yet clear which family members were at the residence. According to The New York Post, a worker discovered the body. “The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Fair Lawn Police Department are investigating a death at 14 Van Saun Place in Fair Lawn, New Jersey,” authorities said in a statement.
4. Both Trypps Beatz & Janoris Jenkins Were Involved in Hip Hop & Rene Was Discovered in the Basement of the Home
Google MapsJanoris Jenkins’ home in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
Roosevelt Rene worked as a music producer, confirmed TMZ. Friends on social media said his name was Trypps Beatz in the music world, and one defended Janoris over the situation. His services included advanced mixing and mixing and mastering. NJ.com also confirmed that Rene was Trypps Beatz.
According to a profile on Trypps Beatz by House of Kings, “Trypps Beatz also is a multi-talented hip-hop producer/artist. Trypps Beatz grew up from a musical background. Both of his parents were musically inclined. His mother, Marie was a lead solo artist. His father was song writer, pianist & engineer.”
The site says that Trypps Beatz was first introduced to music at age 3 when he began playing the drums, and it adds, “This upcoming producer has a lot up his sleeve. Roosevelt ‘Trypps Beatz’ Rene was born on September 3, 1992 in Spring Valley NY. After living there for 10 years Trypps Beatz moved upstate NY.”
When he’s not on the football field, Janoris Jenkins is a hip hop artist using the name Rabbit. “When Janoris Jenkins isn’t lacing up for the New York Giants, he blazes down the studio booth,” a blog post on Jenkins’ hip hop efforts reported. “Rabbit has always loved music.”
Trypps Beatz AKA Roosevelt Rene had tagged Janoris’ music page for his alter ego “Rabbit” on Instagram. He appears to sometimes go by the handle “jackrabbit.”
Posts featuring Trypps Beatz appear on the page @jackrabbitnews.
That page defines itself as “JackRabbit Ent. Official Page @Clampz2.0.” @Clampz2.0 is the page for Janoris Jenkins.
“Sources tell us the body was discovered in the basement by a worker at the house,” TMZ reported.
Janoris wrote on Instagram previously, “I think getting kick out of Florida and sending me to UNA helped me grow as a person, humbled me, taught me life don’t owe nobody shit, and taught me how to fight they rough times.”
5. Janoris Jenkins’ Parents Have Been at His Side Throughout His Football Career
When son, Janoris, was caught with marijuana, William Jenkins Sr., his dad, said to Jacksonville.com, “Janoris made a mistake. The mistake was Janoris, getting caught up in that foolishness. They got a job to do, a program to run, and I take my hat off to them for letting him know, ‘You’re not above the law.’”
The 2007 Sun Sentinel article discussed Janoris Jenkins’ family but didn’t mention his brother. The story described how Janoris was a star high school football player in Palm Beach. “Janoris, his mom, dad and I walked back into the room where they wanted to film the interview with the ESPN coordinator Chad,” the reporter wrote of the hoopla around the then-teen. The story describes how Janoris’ dad called out “relax player” to help calm his nerves.