Monroe County sheriff’s investigators announced late Thursday the arrest of Mason Earle, 19, in the deaths of two men found in a burned-out car earlier this month.
Earle pleaded not guilty to two charges of second-degree murder in the deaths of Alexander Burrow, 20, of Clarkson and Bruce Kane, 18, of Sweden. Both victims were graduates of Brockport High School.
Both Burrow and Kane had been shot, but their cause of death has not been determined.
Investigators said the vehicle belonged to Kane's father. A man working at a nearby business discovered the extinguished remains of the burned-out red sedan on the morning of September 10 and discovered the victims. Authorities say the crime took place in the early overnight hours between Sunday and Monday, September 9 and 10.
“This arrest sends a clear message that these types of heinous crimes will not be tolerated and those responsible will be brought to justice,” said Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter (D). “The arrest of Mr. Earle is the culmination of countless hours of investigative work, time and dedication by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, especially our Major Crimes Unit.”
Earle is being held without bail and is due back in court on October 3.
"Obviously drugs have been a rumor, there was a drug involvement here and there were also guns so when you put those two together you're going to end up with something terrible that occurs," Baxter said.
The sheriff says this investigation is not complete, they're still looking into how the fire was set to the vehicle and have other leads to follow up on.