Earlier this year, Ronnie Crenshaw III gave one of his daughters a gift, the daughter recalled Thursday.
That gift was a ring that once belonged to his grandmother, 19-year-old Naquasia Smith said.
“He told me he wanted to give one of his most worldly possessions to his most prized possession,” Smith said.
On Thursday, nearly three weeks after her father was shot to death outside the former Aquarius Club on State Street, Smith was in City Court to witness the arraignment of the two men accused of killing her father.
“It was one of the hardest things, I think, having to keep my composure,” she said afterward. “But it’s not up to us what happens. Justice will be done.”
Brothers Ronald C. Frasier, 35, of State Street, and Robert L. Frasier, 33, of Emmett Street, were both charged Wednesday with one count each of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder.
They are charged in the April 25 shooting death of 42-year-old Ronnie L. Crenshaw III, of Schenectady, as well as the wounding of Crenshaw’s brother, Yuceff Crenshaw, 38, who lived out of state.
The Frasiers are accused of opening fire on the Crenshaws at about 2:30 a.m., police said. It was unclear which brother allegedly fired the fatal bullet.
All four men were in the parking lot outside of the former club where a private party was under way that morning. Police did not say if the four men were attending the party.
The motive for the shootings remained unclear Thursday. Police have not commented other than to say that it was the result of a dispute.
Ronnie Crenshaw III had just become a father again two days earlier and was out celebrating the birth, his mother, Roberta Crenshaw, said later. He had a total of five children.
The Frasiers appeared in court still in their street clothes, having been held since their arrest in the city lockup. They are to return to court next week.
Ronald C. Frasier has been in court before, recently. He was accused last fall of threatening to kill two women, one of them his own mother, according to papers filed in court.
Ronald C. Frasier was charged in November with second-degree aggravated harassment, accused of calling his mother’s home four times Nov. 20 looking for his wife. He allegedly threatened to kill his mother and his wife, saying that he would burn the house down, according to papers filed in that case. His wife had been staying with his mother.
Then, on Dec. 15, he was accused of violating an order of protection on Division Street by threatening a woman that he would kill her or slice her if she did not let him in the house, according to papers. It was unclear if the woman was his wife, but she was identified as someone who had a child with Ronald Frasier.
That same day, he was accused of breaking the woman’s windshield and front passenger window.
The order of protection was issued in June 2008.
The cases remain pending.
Stephen Rockmacher represented Robert Frasier in court. He said afterward that he had just gotten the case and couldn’t comment.
Crenshaw family members have praised police for their response and making the arrests. Among those giving praise was Roberta Crenshaw.
She called her son a supportive person.
“I got through cancer with his support. I got through a car accident with his support. Now, we have to get through this,” she said by phone. “I have to believe he’ll be OK.”
With Smith at the arraignment was her grandfather, Ronnie Crenshaw Jr. He lives in Pennsylvania and got up early Thursday to make it to Schenectady in time for the arraignments. He said he wanted to see who these men were who are accused of taking his son’s life.
“We’re working on closure right now, and seeing them really helps a great deal in getting to our closure,” he said.
Why his son was killed is for the district attorney to figure out, Ronnie Crenshaw Jr. said.
“But we’re here, we’re going to be here, every time they show their faces,” he said of the Frasiers.
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