14 DAY TRIAL // The man charged in two killings in a Dearborn, Michigan Family Dollar Store has claimed that he is not responsible for the murders.
As reported, Lavere Bryant is a fired assistant manager at the store. He has an extensive criminal record and he has been incarcerated before.
He allegedly killed two employees from the Michigan Avenue store during an attempted robbery. Joseph Orlando, 20, was shot inside the store and Brenna Machus, also 20 years old, was taken hostage.
Her body was found two days later in a dumpster, in an area located between the Southfield Freeway service drive and Michigan Avenue. The coroner found that she had a gunshot wound to the head.
“I did not murder them,” 34-year-old Bryant said at his arraignment on Wednesday, according to the Detroit Free Press.
He also asked for a copy of his warrant to be released to him, which the court agreed to. He has been detained on two murder charges and six other counts related to robbery, Auto World News reports.
“I am standing without counsel,” he stressed in court.
The murders may have been motivated by a wish for retaliation. Bryant was upset for not being offered a promotion to a manager's position.
He was eventually fired from his job as an assistant manager at the Cherry Hill Road store in Inkster for harassing his female coworkers.
“We are saddened by the loss of Joseph and Brenna, and our hearts go out to their families and friends.
“We have a strong, tight-knit team in Detroit, and our focus is on taking care of them right now as we all work to understand what happened,” states Bryn Winburn, public relations manager for Family Dollar.
Bryant was identified because security cameras captured him waving as he walked inside the store on July 16.