CANANDAIGUA — Through a tip from the public, Ontario County Sheriff David Cirencione said investigators were able to find the suspect they believed killed a Farmington man who was found dead at America’s Best Value Inn in the town Saturday afternoon.
Julius Ware IV, 29, was charged Sunday with second-degree murder after first being identified by authorities as a “person of interest” in the death of Emmanuel Richelieu, 37, of Farmington.
However, Cirencione said at a news conference at the sheriff’s office Monday afternoon — he was flanked by District Attorney Jason MacBride — that his investigators continue to gather more information on the circumstances leading up to the death of Richelieu, who was reported missing by his brother on Friday after he was unable to contact him.
Richelieu and his brother had moved to Ontario County within the past two years, Cirencione said.
Cirencione said that on Wednesday night, someone dropped Richelieu off at America’s Best Value Inn at 473 Routes 5&20, and that person is being sought as part of the continuing probe into Richelieu’s death.
He said a weapon was used by Ware to kill Richelieu, who suffered what investigators described as “multiple traumatic injuries.” Cirencione would not go into detail as to what weapon or weapons were allegedly used. He said there “was a sign of struggle.”
The sheriff added that they also don’t know what relationship Richelieu or Ware may have had, nor what brought the victim to the hotel. Those are questions investigators continue to probe, he said.
Ware was arraigned in Ontario County CAP Court Monday morning and taken to the Ontario County Jail without bail, pending further court action in Geneva Town Court. He is scheduled to appear in court Friday at noon for a preliminary hearing.
MacBride said the case eventually will be heard by a grand jury.
After getting the missing-person report on Friday, it didn’t take deputies long to suspect foul play, said Cirencione, explaining that most missing-person cases are solved within hours and almost never with such endings.
He credited his deputies and investigators with quickly concluding that something was amiss with the disappearance of Richelieu, especially when his phone was found near the Geneva hotel.
With a piece of Richelieu’s clothing, a K9 unit was able to track to Room 118, where Richelieu was found dead. He was taken to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy. As of Monday afternoon, investigators were still awaiting the results.
Cirencione said Room 118 was Ware’s residence. The sheriff’s office said he was placed there by state parole after he was released after serving an eight-year sentence for armed robbery in Geneva in 2018.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s print edition of the Finger Lakes Times.