CLEVELAND — The brother of Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles made his first court appearance Friday morning to face charges connected to a triple murder in Cleveland.
Tevin Biles-Thomas pleaded not guilty to all charges against him in the case, which include multiple counts of murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault and perjury.
He's due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 9 a.m.
The incident happened at an apartment building in the 4400 block of Denison Avenue -- which had been operating as an Airbnb -- when an “uninvited group” entered an ongoing New Year’s Eve party. Authorities say an altercation broke out as gunshots were fired.
19-year-old DelVaunte Johnson, 21-year-old Toshaun Banks and 23-year-old DeVaughn Gibson were killed.
Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles turned to Twitter after her brother’s arrest saying she’s “still having a hard time processing” the news.
Here’s her full statement:
My heart aches for everyone involved, especially for the victims and their families. There is nothing that I can say that will heal anyone’s pain, but I do want to express my sincere condolences to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy. I ask everyone to please respect my family’s privacy as we deal with our pain. XO
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams released the following statement after Biles was finally caught:
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin D. Williams issued the following statement:
The investigators within the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit remained committed to securing an arrest in this tragic case. We appreciate our partnership with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and are confident that their efforts will bring justice for the families affected by this terrible incident.