Ex-“America's Next Top Model” Contestant Among 3 Dead

A young man has been charged with killing Mirjana Puhar, a former contestant on "America's Next Top Model."

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police in North Carolina said in a statement Wednesday that 19-year-old Emmanuel Jesus Rangel-Hernandez has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Puhar and two other victims.

Puhar, who grew up in Charlotte after her family fled war-torn Serbia, was found shot to death with two other victims, Jusmar Isiah Gonzaga-Garcia, 21, and Jonathan Cosme Alvarado, 23, in a house in the city's Tryon Hills neighborhood Tuesday evening.

Police said the killings were drug-related, NBC News reports.

Ken Mok and Tyra Banks, executive producers of America's Next Top Model, released a joint statement Wednesday evening saying they were "deeply saddened" by news of Puhar's death, according to NBC News. "She was a vivacious and promising young woman. Our hearts and prayers go out to her loved ones," they said.

Police say Rangel-Hernandez is also charged in connection with a murder at a motel Sunday.

The suspect is being held at a local jail. Online records don't indicate whether he has an attorney.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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