BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The suspect in a double homicide in Buffalo's Allentown neighborhood was charged with murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree Friday afternoon.
34-year-old Bryan Chiclana appeared in Buffalo City Court and was ordered held without bail.
Earlier this week, police said that around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, officers were dispatched to 5 St. Louis Place for the report of a person with a knife. Upon arrival, officers allegedly encountered Chiclana with a knife, and he allegedly cut himself before dropping the knife. He was transported to ECMC, where he was under the supervision of police as a person of interest in the homicides.
Officers found 40-year-old Michael "Mickey" Harmon and 37-year-old Jordan Celotto dead inside the home, and the medical examiner's officer determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma.
On Friday, officials held a press conference to provide further information.
Buffalo Police Department Chief of Detectives Craig Macy said the evidence supports that Chiclana did not know Harmon and Celotto. Chiclana allegedly tried to get into multiple residences and multiple vehicles in the area in a short period of time.
Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane said that Chiclana is accused of unlawfully entering Harmon and Celotto's home through a basement window. While inside, he allegedly struck them both in the head with a blunt object. According to Keane, investigators believe the murders occurred early in the morning on Tuesday.
Their deaths have rocked the community as they were considered pillars of both the Allentown and LGBTQ+ communities.
On Wednesday night, the community started a memorial at Harmon's shop, The Good Stuff on Allen, and at the Stonewall mural that Harmon painted on the side of Edison's Proof and Provision Bar.
Additonal tributes to the beloved couple, who were both artists and boosters of Buffalo, have been planned as well.
The community has contributed thousands to GoFundMe campaigns set up to help cover funeral expenses for Harmon and Celotto.
If you'd like to donate, you can find the campaigns here and here.
