Janoris Jenkins Breaks Silence About Friend Found Dead At Home

Janoris Jenkins, the New York Giants cornerback, spoke out about Roosevelt Rene’s death in his home for the first time Thursday.

“It truly hurts my heart to know he has passed away,” Jenkins said, referring to Rene as his “good friend,” in an Instagram post to his 151,000 followers.

Rene, a 25-year-old music producer, who went by the stage name of Trypps Beatz, was found dead in the basement of Janoris Jenkins’ Fair Lawn, New Jersey, residence, which rests some 10 miles from Metlife Stadium, where the Giants play.

Rene, who was staying at the home, and Janoris Jenkins were working on a music project together. At the time of Rene’s death, Janoris Jenkins was on a promotional jaunt in Florida, where he lives during the NFL offseason.

Janoris Jenkins’ older brother, William Jenkins, was charged with aggravated manslaughter, as the Inquisitr earlier reported.

William Jenkins and Rene allegedly got into a fight, which ended lethally, court documents point out.

“[William] Jenkins inflicted injuries to the victim which resulted in his death,” read the probable cause affidavit, as reported by USA Today.

After the incident, William Jenkins fled New Jersey, but was arrested in Ontario County, New York, on an unrelated parole warrant. He has previously been arrested for grant theft, aggravated assault, and burglary on at least seven different occasions. His first brush with the law purportedly came at the age of 18.

“As this is an ongoing incident, I cannot answer any questions related to the investigation. I am praying for Roosevelt and his family,” Janoris Jenkins said.

House staff called authorities on June 26 after Rene’s body was discovered. At that time, William Jenkins had already been taken into custody, Fox News reported.

Local police and the Bergen County prosecutor’s office believe Rene’s death to possibly be a case of suffocation or strangulation, the official website of the NFL reported.

Janoris Jenkins has weathered periods of controversies, himself, but vowed to stay out of trouble – and not repeat his brother’s choices – once he landed on the Giants’ roster.

“If I’m at a party and somebody’s trying to hand me something that I don’t do or I don’t need, first of all, I’m gonna leave the party,” he said to the New York Post in late June. “Now I know when I’m partying with you, I can’t hang around you on that level, I got to separate myself. I’m gonna tell you no every time, and if you get offended, that’s on you.”