Latest news with #Celotto
CBC
12-03-2025
- CBC
Buffalo police charge man with murder after Six Nations man and partner killed in their home
Police in Buffalo, N.Y., say a 34-year-old man has been charged with murder in connection to the killing of a Six Nations man and his partner last week. The couple, Jordan Celotto, 37, and Michael (Mickey) Harmon, 40, were found dead in their Allentown residence on March 4 at around 4:30 p.m, according to police. Buffalo's acting mayor, Christopher Scanlon, said the cause of death was blunt force trauma. "As we've come to realize, the nature of these crimes is truly horrific, the senseless and violent nature of them is something that we cannot and will not stand for here in the City of Buffalo," Scanlon said during a March 7 press conference announcing the charges. A 34-year-old of no fixed address was charged with one count of first degree murder and two counts of second degree murder, police said. Man was attempting to break into other homes, police say The chief of detectives for Buffalo police, Craig Macy, said at the news conference the man was not known to Celotto or Harmon. Macy said the person was in the neighbourhood for 45 minutes trying to enter other homes. "The suspect also was found to be trying to get into multiple vehicles in the same time period," he said. Erie County district attorney Michael Keane said the person "unlawfully entered into the victims' home" that morning and struck them both in the head with a blunt object. Scanlon added that based on the police investigation, the attack was not targeted or hate-motivated. Celotto and Harmon were pronounced dead at the scene. Police said previously a friend of the couple went over to the house after one of the victims failed to show up for work. The friend spotted someone with a knife and called 911. Officers who went to the scene saw a man who they said cut himself before dropping the knife. The 34-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. He was discharged on Friday and charged. "He faces a maximum sentence of life without parole if convicted," said Keane, adding police are still investigating. "I know this is a great loss to our community and it's hard to make sense of this tragic crime." 'A tragedy we never expected' Celotto was a member of the Onondaga Beaver family from Six Nations of the Grand River. Celotto's close friend Sophia Mafaje told CBC Hamilton last week that he grew up in the Niagara Region and was deeply connected to his home community in Six Nations. He was "an amazing artist" and "so loving," she said. Family friend Heather La Forme set up a GoFundMe page to help Celotto's family "with the unexpected costs … to get him home to Sour Springs Longhouse" in Six Nations. Almost $59,000 US of the $70,000 goal had been raised as of Wednesday morning. Celotto's death was "a tragedy we never expected nor prepared for," La Forme wrote on the fundraising page. Harmon also had a GoFundMe page set up for his funeral costs where it said he would be buried in Buffalo. The couple were beloved and well known in the 2SLGBTQ+ and arts communities in Buffalo. Dozens of tributes were posted by people in the U.S. city, and beyond, last week, including the Pride Center of Western New York, the Buffalo-Niagara LGBTQ History Project, where Harmon was a board member, and local café The Intersection. "The impact they had in the queer community is immeasurable. They simply made the Buffalo, and specifically the Allentown community, where they called home, a better place for everyone," the Pride Center wrote online.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
Buffalo, N.Y., community mourns beloved gay couple killed in double homicide
A couple who were beloved local artists and LGBTQ advocates were found dead in their Buffalo, New York, home Tuesday, sparking local memorials and dozens of online tributes. The Buffalo Police Department is investigating the deaths of Mickey Harmon, 40, and Jordan Celotto, 37, as a double homicide, Buffalo Mayor Christopher Scanlon said during a news conference Wednesday. There is no indication that the homicides were a hate crime, police said. A friend went to the couple's home Tuesday afternoon after one of them didn't show up for work, police said. The friend called 911 and said he saw a man holding a knife, according to a police report. When police arrived at the home around 4:22 p.m., they found both Harmon and Celotto dead, the report states. The man with a knife, whom police have only described as a 35-year-old, cut himself and dropped the knife when officers arrived, police said Wednesday, adding that the man is currently being treated at the Erie County Medical Center. Police said he did not appear to know the victims. In an update Thursday, police said homicide detectives were working diligently on the investigation and that 'key pieces of evidence have been recovered that have aided in understanding what occurred at the scene.' They said there is no threat to the community in relation to the crime. Harmon and Celotto's deaths sent shock waves through the Buffalo community, where they were both well-known artists and organizers of local LGBTQ events. They lived in the city's Allentown neighborhood, which is affectionately known as the city's 'gayborhood.' Mitch Nowakowski, a city council member, became emotional during the news conference Wednesday when he said the victims were both his constituents and his friends. 'I refuse to allow Mickey and Jordan's memory to be attached to these heinous crimes,' he said. 'I want everybody to know that these people were artists, were people of the Allentown community who made it better, who made things happen, who worked with me ever since I got into office. When you look and see Allentown, its vibrancy, its festivals, its artwork, think of them, because that is who they are.' Pat Sandora-Nastyn, who was close friends with the couple and said they'd been together for about five years, described them as 'pillars of the queer community' and the arts community. He described Harmon as a 'Buffalebrity,' meaning a Buffalo celebrity, because he was so well known in the city. He co-owned a store called The Good Stuff, where he sold his illustrations of Buffalo buildings and cheeky queer T-shirts. 'He is one of the most brave people I ever met, just unabashedly himself, not afraid to be loud and vocal and visible,' Sandora-Nastyn said, adding that Harmon was 'chaotic in the best way' and very supportive of other queer people but also the Buffalo community, generally. A scroll through his Facebook profile shows he often hosted LGBTQ events and led an effort to help clear Buffalo's sidewalks of snow. Harmon was also a prolific muralist in Buffalo. 'You could not leave a building without turning and seeing at least a dozen murals by Mickey Harmon on the street,' Brian Bartlett, another close friend of the couple, said Friday. 'He really made his mark throughout the city.' Jay Aquarious, a hip-hop and R&B singer who has lived in Buffalo for most of his life, said the first time he met Harmon was at a local cultural center in 2015, where Harmon was dressed in drag as the video game character Princess Peach. They later teamed up to hold an R&B and Hip-Hop Pride event in 2023. Aquarious said he always appreciated that diverse representation was important to Harmon when he held events, and he would feature poetry, hip-hop, burlesque, ballroom and drag performers. 'It wouldn't just be all like white people,' he said. 'It would all be different colors, different shapes and sizes. It didn't matter to him — you were on that stage and you're going to be performing as long as you have skill and you know who you are and what you're going to do, because that's who Mickey was.' Celotto, according to all three friends, was a foil to Mickey's bold personality and was warm and loving. He was a DJ, and Bartlett, who is also a DJ, said they had a shared love of disco and house music. He said Celotto organized a monthly dance party called 'Disco Milk' at 26 Allen, a local club. 'There's just such an effervescence and joy in that kind of sound,' Bartlett said of disco, adding that 'Jordan really emulated that in his selecting.' During the news conference, Nowakowski, the council member, said Celotto would laugh about how people often talked about Harmon, but that he supported Harmon being 'the big personality that he was.' Bartlett said the couple paired together well. 'They were the perfect counterparts to each other's personalities, and they pushed one another to be the best version of themselves, as well as those around them,' he said. Tributes to the duo poured in on Facebook throughout the week, with some friends sharing videos of Celotto DJing and one sharing a video of Harmon twerking in the background at a community event where someone was trying to hit a piñata. Harmon and Celotto's families and friends have set up GoFundMe fundraisers to help cover their funeral costs and support their families, and they have raised about $50,000 each. Harmon had organized an event called Queertopia, a showcase of queer talent in western New York, that was scheduled to have its first show Saturday. The co-creator of the event, Scott Rankie, said in a post on social media that the event will still be held at Nietzche's, a music venue in Buffalo, as a remembrance and celebration of the couple. The couple's friends told NBC News that the loss will be felt for a long time throughout the LGBTQ and artistic communities in Buffalo and across western New York. Aquarious said he hopes people continue to spread the joy and support the couple brought to the community. 'I just hope that with this magic that they both were making, I really hope it just keeps going,' he said. 'Even if they didn't know them, just keep the magic going.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
07-03-2025
- NBC News
Buffalo, N.Y., community mourns beloved gay couple killed in double homicide
A couple who were beloved local artists and LGBTQ advocates were found dead in their Buffalo, New York, home Tuesday, sparking local memorials and dozens of online tributes. The Buffalo Police Department is investigating the deaths of Mickey Harmon, 40, and Jordan Celotto, 37, as a double homicide, Buffalo Mayor Christopher Scanlon said during a news conference Wednesday. There is no indication that the homicides were a hate crime, police said. A friend went to the couple's home Tuesday afternoon after one of them didn't show up for work, police said. The friend called 911 and said he saw a man holding a knife, according to a police report. When police arrived at the home around 4:22 p.m., they found both Harmon and Celotto dead, the report states. The man with a knife, whom police have only described as a 35-year-old, cut himself and dropped the knife when officers arrived, police said Wednesday, adding that the man is currently being treated at the Erie County Medical Center. Police said he did not appear to know the victims. In an update Thursday, police said homicide detectives were working diligently on the investigation and that 'key pieces of evidence have been recovered that have aided in understanding what occurred at the scene.' They said there is no threat to the community in relation to the crime. Harmon and Celotto's deaths sent shock waves through the Buffalo community, where they were both well-known artists and organizers of local LGBTQ events. They lived in the city's Allentown neighborhood, which is affectionately known as the city's 'gayborhood.' Mitch Nowakowski, a city council member, became emotional during the news conference Wednesday when he said the victims were both his constituents and his friends. 'I refuse to allow Mickey and Jordan's memory to be attached to these heinous crimes,' he said. 'I want everybody to know that these people were artists, were people of the Allentown community who made it better, who made things happen, who worked with me ever since I got into office. When you look and see Allentown, its vibrancy, its festivals, its artwork, think of them, because that is who they are.' Pat Sandora-Nastyn, who was close friends with the couple and said they'd been together for about five years, described them as 'pillars of the queer community' and the arts community. He described Harmon as a 'Buffalebrity,' meaning a Buffalo celebrity, because he was so well known in the city. He co-owned a store called The Good Stuff, where he sold his illustrations of Buffalo buildings and cheeky queer T-shirts. 'He is one of the most brave people I ever met, just unabashedly himself, not afraid to be loud and vocal and visible,' Sandora-Nastyn said, adding that Harmon was 'chaotic in the best way' and very supportive of other queer people but also the Buffalo community, generally. A scroll through his Facebook profile shows he often hosted LGBTQ events and led an effort to help clear Buffalo's sidewalks of snow. Harmon was also a prolific muralist in Buffalo. 'You could not leave a building without turning and seeing at least a dozen murals by Mickey Harmon on the street,' Brian Bartlett, another close friend of the couple, said Friday. 'He really made his mark throughout the city.' Jay Aquarious, a hip-hop and R&B singer who has lived in Buffalo for most of his life, said the first time he met Harmon was at a local cultural center in 2015, where Harmon was dressed in drag as the video game character Princess Peach. They later teamed up to hold an R&B and Hip-Hop Pride event in 2023. Aquarious said he always appreciated that diverse representation was important to Harmon when he held events, and he would feature poetry, hip-hop, burlesque, ballroom and drag performers. 'It wouldn't just be all like white people,' he said. 'It would all be different colors, different shapes and sizes. It didn't matter to him — you were on that stage and you're going to be performing as long as you have skill and you know who you are and what you're going to do, because that's who Mickey was.' Celotto, according to all three friends, was a foil to Mickey's bold personality and was warm and loving. He was a DJ, and Bartlett, who is also a DJ, said they had a shared love of disco and house music. He said Celotto organized a monthly dance party called 'Disco Milk' at 26 Allen, a local club. 'There's just such an effervescence and joy in that kind of sound,' Bartlett said of disco, adding that 'Jordan really emulated that in his selecting.' During the news conference, Nowakowski, the council member, said Celotto would laugh about how people often talked about Harmon, but that he supported Harmon being 'the big personality that he was.' Bartlett said the couple paired together well. 'They were the perfect counterparts to each other's personalities, and they pushed one another to be the best version of themselves, as well as those around them,' he said. Tributes to the duo poured in on Facebook throughout the week, with some friends sharing videos of Celotto DJing and one sharing a video of Harmon twerking in the background at a community event where someone was trying to hit a piñata. Harmon and Celotto's families and friends have set up GoFundMe fundraisers to help cover their funeral costs and support their families, and they have raised about $50,000 each. Harmon had organized an event called Queertopia, a showcase of queer talent in western New York, that was scheduled to have its first show Saturday. The co-creator of the event, Scott Rankie, said in a post on social media that the event will still be held at Nietzche's, a music venue in Buffalo, as a remembrance and celebration of the couple. The couple's friends told NBC News that the loss will be felt for a long time throughout the LGBTQ and artistic communities in Buffalo and across western New York. Aquarious said he hopes people continue to spread the joy and support the couple brought to the community. 'I just hope that with this magic that they both were making, I really hope it just keeps going,' he said. 'Even if they didn't know them, just keep the magic going.'
CBC
07-03-2025
- CBC
Six Nations man killed in Buffalo was 'sweetest, incredibly helpful' person, says friend in Ontario
A Six Nations man killed in Buffalo, N.Y., this week in a double homicide is being remembered as "an amazing artist" whose death marks "a terrible loss" for the arts as well as the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Jordan Celotto, 37, and his partner, Michael (Mickey) Harmon, 40, were found dead in their Allentown residence on Tuesday around 4:30 p.m. ET. Celotto was from Six Nations of the Grand River, a Haudenosaunee First Nations reserve located along the banks of the Grand River in Ontario. Buffalo's acting mayor, Christopher Scanlon, said the medical examiner's office determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma. Scanlon told a news conference on Wednesday that both men were victims of "a tragic double homicide." According to police, a friend of the couple went over to the house after one of the victims failed to show up for work. The friend spotted someone with a knife and called 911. Officers who went to the scene saw a man who they said cut himself before dropping the knife. The 35-year-old suspect in the double homicide was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. As of Wednesday he was being held in hospital as a person of interest in the case. "I know when an incident like this occurs, particularly when the victims are members of the LGBTQ+ community, one of the first inclinations is to ask whether or not this is a hate crime or anything of that nature. At this point, there's absolutely no indication of that," Scanlon said. "However, I do want to stress the Buffalo Police Department will follow any and all leads during their investigation," the mayor added. Sophia Mafaje, who was best friends with Celotto, fought back tears as she spoke with CBC Hamilton on Friday. The Toronto resident said she met Celotto in 2003 when they were both 16. "He grew up in the Niagara Region, but I met him through one of our mutual friends who went to high school with him," she said. "They went to prom together back when he thought he was still straight and my friend had a crush on him." Mafaje said that in 2006, Celotto moved to Toronto, where she also moved, from St. Catharines, in 2012. "He lived down the street from me, and we reconnected and just have been friends since then … in our 20s, we became the best of friends," Mafaje said. "He was just one of the best people that I knew and he was so loving, was so helpful and would do anything for the people he loved. Jordan was the sweetest person — just an incredibly helpful person, willing to push anything aside in order to help you and help others. "He was just an amazing artist [who] sincerely cared about the gay community and his community in Toronto, and had built so many things here before he moved over to Buffalo with his boyfriend." 'A strong pillar' with Six Nations community Mafaje said Celotto was "a strong pillar" with his home community — the Onondaga Beaver family from Six Nations in the Grand River. "He created many art pieces that were part of his native heritage," she said. Arrangements are being made for Celotto to be laid to rest at Sour Springs Longhouse. 'Outpouring of love and support' Heather La Forme, a family friend, told CBC Hamilton in a message that she and Celotto "were raised like siblings in our family, so it's like I lost my little brother." La Forme has organized a GoFundMe to help Celotto's family "with the unexpected costs … to get him home to Sour Springs Longhouse" in Six Nations. More than $46,000 US of the $70,000 US goal had been raised by midday Friday. According to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Harmon was American. A separate GoFundMe for Harmon says he will be buried in Buffalo. "Jordan's beautiful and gentle soul was tragically taken from his family, and community … for which we may never understand," La Forme wrote on the GoFundMe page for Celotto. "A tragedy we never expected nor prepared for. To hear the community speak and post of both Jordan and Mickey and about their love for art and their community has been comforting to his parents and family. Jordan was so loved by so many — family, friends and community. We are so heartbroken over the loss in our family." Steven Hilliard, co-founder of Hamilton-based queer events group House of Adam and Steve, paid tribute to Celotto and Harmon in a post on Instagram, describing them as "two beautiful humans." "They were so supportive of House of Adam and Steve, and gave me so much valuable advice in the early days," Hilliard wrote. "They built such a special community and they are going to be desperately missed." They made Buffalo a 'better place for everyone' In Buffalo, dozens of tributes from 2SLGBTQ+ and arts groups have been posted online. Pride Center of Western New York, in an Instagram post, said they join "the entire Western New York community in mourning the tragic deaths of Mickey Harmon and Jordan Celotto — innovators, community organizers, artists, collaborators and, most importantly, our friends. "Mickey and Jordan touched the lives of so many, and the impact they had in the queer community is immeasurable. They simply made the Buffalo, and specifically the Allentown community, where they called home, a better place for everyone." Buffalo-Niagara LGBTQ History Project, where Harmon was a board member, wrote on Facebook: "It's not possible to capture in words the effect that the tragic loss of Mickey Harmon has had on Buffalo's queer community, and surely on the art [world], too ... All the plans, dreams, desires, jokes interrupted in the middle of a breath. "Nothing can make up the loss of Jordan Celotto to Buffalo and our queer community, whether we knew Jordan as a friend, an artist and DJ, and/or Mickey Harmon's partner," it added. For The Intersection café, a business in Buffalo, "this loss is unimaginable." In a Facebook post, the café said, "Mickey was a pillar in our community with his dedication to First Fridays, summer and Pride events, his beautiful works of art, and his passion for the wellness of the community as a whole. We mourn the loss of Mickey and Jordan."
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
'Prolific' New York Artists Who Were a Couple Found Slain Inside N.Y. Home
A couple comprised of two artists was found slain inside their Buffalo, N.Y., home on Tuesday, March 4. Michael "Mickey" Harmon, 40, and his partner Jordan Celotto, 37, were identified as the victims, acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon announced during a press conference on Wednesday. According to Deputy Buffalo Police Commissioner Patrick Overdorf, their bodies were found when officers arrived at the property after receiving a call about a "person with a knife." The 911 call was made by a friend who showed up at their home, concerned when one of them had not been to work. "Upon arrival, the officers did encounter a male with a knife. The male did drop the knife but only after cutting himself," said Overdorf. The 35-year-old man, whose name was not publicly revealed, was transported to the hospital, where he remained as of Wednesday, March 5, under police supervision. He is being considered a "person of interest." The bodies of Harmon and Celotto were found after officers did a subsequent search of the home. Overdorf said the medical examiner's office determined their cause of death to be blunt force trauma. While their death remains under investigation by the Buffalo Police homicide squad, Overdorf said "There is no indication at this point in the investigation that it is related to a hate crime. But obviously, we are early in the investigation and continue to investigate all leads." Council member Mitch Nowakowski, who said Harmon and Celotto had been "partners for quite some time," referred to them as his "personal friends" during the press conference. Related: What We Know About Chilling Case of Dismembered Students Found in Mexico "As district council member and as a member of the LGBTQ community, there is nothing that suspects that this was a hate crime, so I want to put those tensions at ease," he said. "The larger Community does not have to be fearful that somebody that could be in connection of these homicides is at large." While taking questions from reporters, Scanlon said that authorities "don't have an answer" yet as to whether the person of interest had any connection to Harmon and Celotto. Nowakowski said Harmon was a "prolific artist" who had an art gallery that he owned with a few people called "The Pineapple" on Allen Street. He said art was the "mutual connection" between Harmon and Celotto. Related: Suspect's Texts Reveal Possible Motive for Killing of Cal Fire Chief: 'I Hurt Her' "Not only did they have to do different jobs to pay the bills, but they set performances and really garnered the artist community to work together," said Nowakowski, who they were also involved in various community events. Multiple community members have paid their respects online, including the Pride Center of Western New York, North Park Theatre, Elmwood Village Association, Remedy House and Explore Buffalo. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. GoFundMe campaigns to help cover funeral costs for Harmon and to help Celotto's family have been set up by their loved ones. Read the original article on People
