Man accused of killing local singer Myrtle Watson due in court

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The man accused of stabbing a Rochester singer to death in her apartment in September is due in court on Monday morning.

Tyrone James is charged with second-degree murder and is due for further proceedings in Monroe County Court. He has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 63-year-old Myrtle Watson.

By the time police learned about the stabbing, Watson had been dead for hours in her home on Sixth Street. Investigators eventually identified James as a suspect, who they said knew Watson. They also said James has 49 prior criminal convictions, five of which are felonies.

James is being held without bail. Watson, also known as “Pokie”, traveled extensively for her music career.