21-year-old charged with murder in deaths of Monroe man and his infant son

MONROE, N.C. — Court records show a suspect has been charged with two counts of murder after a 25-year-old man and his four-month-old son were killed earlier this year in Monroe.

According to Union County jail records, Tahjii Katrell Salves Bennett, 21, was arrested in late July. He’s now facing two first-degree murder charges, along with possession of a firearm and discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling.

Darion McClendon, 25, and his four-month-old son, Da’mari McClendon, were killed when their home was sprayed with rounds on May 29.

“I’m trying to do the best that I can,” Shania Robinson, Da’Mari’s mother, told Channel 9 in June. “I really want someone to be held accountable.”

Brittney and Jasmine McClendon are Darion McClendon’s sisters and they have been waiting for news of an arrest for months.

“It’s bittersweet,” Brittney McClendon said. “I guess you could say because the person who done it, we know.”

The family knows Bennett because he grew up in the same church as them.

“He and my brother used to always play and get kicked out of the little Bible study, because they were playing together,” Jasmine McClendon said. “Being bad together like they were, the only two boys in there, so you know how that went.”

“His grandmother was like a lead singer in the church, so I really loved going to hear her voice,” Brittney McClendon said.

The sisters said they were stunned by Bennett’s arrest.

“That’s what I don’t get because, they never had a problem with each other, far as I know, they never had a problem with each other,” Jasmine McClendon said.

The sisters don’t believe Bennett should ever get out of jail.

“It should have been some type of way y’all worked that out, said how you felt, duked it out, whatever,” Brittney McClendon said. “But when it comes to killing, I want you to get the max.”

Bennett is being held in custody with no bond, according to jail records.

“This investigation has been exhaustive and all credit should go to the men and women of this department who have worked tirelessly, spending hours on end gathering evidence and leaving no stone unturned,” said Monroe Police Chief Bryan Gilliard in a news release. “The work done by these folks is a true testament to this department and our commitment to the residents of Monroe.”

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

(WATCH BELOW: Family of slain Monroe man, infant son want more information from police)

Unsolved case: Family of slain Monroe man, infant son want more information from police

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