Brutal murder discovered in Utica

First clue was blood dripping through ceiling.

UTICA, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) – Utica Police discovered a murder Saturday evening, Nov. 11, in the Cornhill section of the city.

They made that discovery by observing blood dripping through the ceiling from the apartment above where the report had been made. A suspect is in custody.

Shortly after 7:30 p.m. Saturday, police were called to a house on the 100 block of Eagle St. in Utica. The 911 caller told police that they believed there was blood dripping from their ceiling, coming from the apartment above. Police verified that that was true and went to the apartment on the floor above.

Police knocked on the door of the upstairs apartment and announced their presence. A man answered the door, covered in blood, and locked the door to the apartment.

Police had to take steps to gain entry into the apartment and found a large pool of blood and evidence that something had been dragged through the apartment. They followed the trail and discovered the body of a man in the bathtub. He was deceased, pronounced dead by EMTs with the Utica Fire Department.

Investigation at the scene by the Utica Police Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Unit uncovered that the deceased had been shot several times, stabbed several times and suffered other injuries.

The identity of the victim has not yet been released.

The suspect, who was taken into custody by Utica Police, is 25-year-old Colton Shaffer, of Utica.

Shaffer has been charged with:

• Second Degree Murder
• Second Degree Possession of a Weapon
• Third Degree Possession of a Weapon

Police say that additional charges could be pending, depending on consultation with the District Attorney’s office.