The dust has settled mostly and we now have more information on a gruesome death in NYC that has been reported on city news sites and in Broadway publications. From Playbill.com we hear:
Marcus Bellamy, a onetime Broadway dancer who served as Dance Captain for Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, has been charged with murder and manslaughter for allegedly killing his roommate, according to the New York Daily News.
Bellamy's roommate, Bernardo Almonte, was strangled August 19. At 4:02 PM that day, Bellamy's Facebook page began displaying the message, saying “Forgive me. I did it because I love you. I love you all. I loved him also. He told me love and hate are the same emotion. Forgive me. I know not what I do. I did it for love. For god. On high.”
The page and the message were still being displayed as of early morning, August 21.
The pair reportedly had been fighting in their apartment in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx. After the fight, Bellamy reportedly contacted a neighbor, who called police. Bellamy was waiting for them and surrendered peacefully. – playbill.com
I am sure we will hear more reaction from the theater community in NYC as the days go on. But why did Bellamy do it? What was the argument about? To add more confusion to the case, NYDailyNews.com adds:
“I am God,” he wrote on his Facebook page, which is rife with Scripture verses, as well as pictures of himself shirtless and striking different dance moves. “I give life and can take it away.”
A law enforcement source said Bellamy strangled his lover as they brawled inside the W. 174th St. home in Morris Heights. Police said Almonte was found in the fifth-floor apartment face down, bleeding from a blow to the head.
Bellamy bit both of Almonte’s shoulders during the fatal fight, cops said, though it was not disclosed what they were arguing over. – nydailynews.com
Here are screen shots of Bellamy's most recent Facebook posts before the murder.
From a reporting aspect, we shall see how this case is covered in the future. Playbill.com used the phrase "… Charged With Murdering Roommate," while NYDailyNews.com used the term boyfriend in the title as well as under all the pictures and the word lover in the body of the report.
Our thoughts are with both men's family and friends.
h/t: Playbill.com