Three Michigan men discovered dead in a vacant apartment building last week were shot to death, according to Michigan State Police, revealing a cause of death and hinting at further developments in the mysterious case.
Armani Kelly, 27, of Oscoda, Michigan, and Dante Wicker, 31, of Melvindale, Michigan, as well as their friend Montoya Givens, 31, of Detroit, had been missing since the evening of Jan. 21. Their bodies were discovered on February 2nd.
Kelly, known as “Marley Whoop,” and Wicker, known as “B12,” were scheduled to perform hip-hop sets at the east-side Detroit club Lounge 31 on Jan. 21. Givens, dubbed “Jugg,” accompanied them. Their performances, however, were cancelled due to technical failures with the club’s DJ equipment, and their families stopped hearing from them, sparking a nationwide search.
Detroit police discovered their bodies nearly two weeks later, buried beneath debris in the basement of an abandoned, rat-infested Highland Park apartment building.
“This was not a coincidental occurrence. The investigation is still ongoing, and detectives are making progress, and we believe we have found a motive “Lt. Mike Shaw of the Michigan State Police confirmed the incident on Tuesday.
Investigators have described the case as concerning, unusual, and difficult. The evening they went missing, all activity on their cellphones and social media accounts ceased, and there were no early indications of a motive. When the bodies were discovered, they were frozen, delaying identification and autopsies.
Shaw stated on Tuesday that each of the men had multiple gunshot wounds.
Kelly’s car, which he drove from Oscoda to Detroit, was discovered in Warren after his family reported him missing on Jan. 23. According to Warren police, a juvenile was arrested in connection with the vehicle theft and charged with receiving and concealing stolen property.
There have been no charges filed in connection with the three killings.
