Albany Police clear several high-profile murder cases

ALBANY — Officials with the Albany Police Department touted the “partnership” the department has with the community and the role that partnership played in recent arrests related to high-profile murder cases during a news conference Wednesday.

APD’s Lt. Keithen Hall described the clearing by arrest of a triple homicide, which occurred on June 27 at a duplex on East Alberson Drive; a single homicide, which occurred on Aug. 3 at Shoreham Apartments in which the victim was shot six times; and a double homicide, which occurred just last weekend on West Highland Avenue during which the victims were killed with what officials are describing as a “small ax.” The arrests came in close proximity to each other and were called a”taxing” accomplishment for the police force.

“It has been very taxing,” Hall said. “On top of dealing with all of the forcible felonies, the armed robberies, the aggravated assault cases, shootings and all of that stuff, my team, which is the Robbery/Homicide team, is committed to digging deep, of course, and moving forward, doing everything we possibly can to get information.

“It is a lot of long hours. I can tell you that I ask a lot from my team so that they keep pushing forward. They are a good group of guys. Very unique individuals. They are really hard workers, and they are passionate about what they do to give the community a sense of safety here. It is real hard to understand what an investigator is going through. They’ve got to manage their home lives, they’ve got to manage their work life and it’s real taxing.”

Hall described the recent success the police department has had in solving five murders as a being part of a “partnership” with the community, saying that, “Once one of those crimes occurs with that magnitude, the community has to take ownership of it.”

“It has been a partnership,” Hall said. “That’s the way I look at it. We ask the community to step up and they’re tired. I understand; every time you turn on the news there is something dealing with violent crime here in Albany and they are tired. And now, we are asking them to step up, and they have stepped up with the information we are receiving from crimestoppers and information that people just want to call and tell you about.”

Hall said more arrests are expected.

“There will be several more arrests in these homicide cases,” he said. “We are still working, and I cannot divulge that information at this time, but we are expecting several more arrests in these homicide cases.”