A Syracuse teen is testifying against his older siblings in a double murder trial, blaming them for a robbery gone bad that led to execution-style slayings, according to a report.
Brendell Elmore, now 15, took the witness stand Thursday to testify he was just 13 when his older sister, Jazzmin Elmore, 28, taught him how to hold a pistol to hide its missing magazine and to be safe ahead of the planned stick-up for marijuana and cash, Syracuse.com reports.
The teen also told a jury that his 26-year-old brother, Treamon Elmore, had instructed him to leave the victims’ Syracuse apartment just before his older sibling shot Luis Sepulveda, 21, and Christopher McLaurin, 28, in the back of their heads in June 2018.
“I heard a shot, a scream, then another shot,” Brendell Elmore testified. “Then I started running.”
The teen — who avoided a murder charge due to his age and since authorities don’t believe he pulled the trigger – also provided key details of the robbery, saying he was told to carry the marijuana and cash prior to the fatal shootings.
Brendell Elmore insisted he did not take part in the slaying, but testified that he gave his brother one of his gloves just prior to the robbery, which is why blood from one of the victims was found on a latex glove along with the teen’s DNA, Syracuse.com reports.
The teen, who initially told police he never set foot in the apartment, also admitted that he lied to investigators. Again, he blamed his brother.
“He told me to say, ‘We don’t know nothing,’” Brendell Elmore told a jury. “I was listening to what my so-called brother told me to say.”
Both Treamon and Jazzmn Elmore, meanwhile, are pointing the finger at their younger brother, claiming he actually shot Sepulveda and McLaurin in what prosecutors have called “cold-blooded” killings.
Prosecutor Michael Whalen told a jury on Tuesday that it’s more credible that the teen’s older siblings got him involved the robbery plot, according to Syracuse.com.
An attorney for Jazzmin Elmore countered those claims by showing photos from Brendell’s Facebook page, including one image posted within days of the murders that showed the teen appearing to mimic a gun with his hands.
“I live the life of a villain,” an accompanying caption read.
The teen claimed he couldn’t remember writing the post and accused his sister of putting it up, saying she had access to his social media account.
Testimony in the case is expected to continue Friday. If convicted of second-degree murder, Jazzmin Elmore faces up to 25 years to life in prison. Prosecutors accuse her of setting up the robbery and sending her brothers to carry it out.
Treamon Elmore faces up to life in prison without parole if convicted in the slayings, and 25 years to life if only found responsible for the robbery.
Brendell Elmore, who has spent 18 months in juvenile detention since the slayings, could face several more years once sentenced in Family Court, where he’s expected to admit to his role in the robberies, Syracuse.com reports.
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