Pair charged in 2014 Schenectady murder

Two men have been arrested in connection to the December 2014 Schenectady killing of Wayne L. Best Jr. and more people could be charged, authorities said Wednesday.

Christopher E. Johnson, 25, and Todd A. Macon, 29, both of Schenectady, each face one count of second-degree murder, police said.

Johnson and Macon are accused of taking part in the fatal shooting of Best while trying to rob him.

If convicted of the second-degree murder charge, they would face a maximum possible sentence 25 years to life in prison.

Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney declined to detail their alleged roles in Best’s killing, but he did say more arrests are possible.

“The investigation continues and there is the distinct possibility of additional charges against one or more persons,” Carney said.

Best, 25, was shot and killed just before 1:30 a.m. Dec. 9, 2014 near his 1054 Parkwood Blvd. residence.

Neighbors called police to report several shots fired. Police arrived to find Best in the road with a gunshot wound to his upper body.

The arrests of Johnson and Macon come about two months after family members held a vigil at his grave at Vale Cemetery, both to honor his memory and publicize the then-unsolved case.

Best played lacrosse when he attended Schenectady High School and Herkimer County Community College. He made the Adirondack Region’s Empire State Games lacrosse team in the summer of 2006. He loved music and BMX bicycling, friends have said.

At his grave in December, family members asked that anyone with information about his killing to come forward.

Police spokesman Lt. Mark McCracken declined to detail the investigation, praised detectives for their work.

Court paperwork bases the charges on witness statements and physical and video evidence.

Police released general descriptions of two suspects initially sought in the case. Those descriptions suggest that whatever role Macon allegedly had, he wasn’t one of those two individuals.

Macon’s attorney, Michael Mansion, said his impression from prosecutors is that they believe Macon was an accomplice, not the shooter.

Johnson’s attorney, Mark Gaylord, said prosecutors told him they believe both are accomplices, but neither fired the fatal shot.

Both Johnson and Macon appeared in City Court Wednesday morning.

Judge Robert Hoffman did not address bail for either, as his court can’t set bail in murder cases. Both are due back in court Tuesday either for a hearing or to learn of an indictment.

Police took both men into custody Tuesday, police said.

Friends and family of both suspects attended the court proceedings Wednesday. “They’re shocked,” Mansion said of Macon’s friends and family. “He has nothing in his history of anything to indicate this type of act or behavior.”

Macon has only a minor criminal history, Mansion said.

Categories: News, Schenectady County