GENEVA — Ontario County District Attorney Jason MacBride confirmed Monday morning that a man sought in connection with the death of Emmanuel Richelieu, 37, of Farmington, has been charged with murder.
Julius Ware, 29, was arrested on a murder charge Sunday, McBride said.
According to booking information from the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office, Ware was on parole.
During a media briefing Sunday morning, Sheriff David Cirencione said the sheriff’s office received a call just before 11 p.m. Friday night from the brother of Richelieu, 37, who lodged a missing-person report while telling police there was an app on his sibling’s phone indicating he was at the America’s Best Value Inn on Hamilton Street.
Police were dispatched to that location, Cirencione said, at which point they interviewed the brother and began a search and canvass of the area. They eventually found Richelieu’s phone, but not him.
“Based on the circumstances, we believed this to be suspicious,” Cirencione said.
Cirencione said the search continued into Saturday, with drones and K9s, including a bloodhound, brought in to assist. The sheriff said the bloodhound made a positive identification outside Room 118, at which point police knocked on the door and received no answer. Upon entering the room, officers found a deceased male.
Police later identified the male as Richelieu.
Cirencione said there was significant trauma to the body, which was taken to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy.
Cirencione said Room 118 was registered to Ware; the sheriff said it is Ware’s residence.