Russell Neal shot to fame in the 1990s with the R&B group Hi-Five, even scoring a number-one hit. Hi-Five scored Top 10 hits such as "I Like the Way," appearing on BET, Arsenio Hall and even "Soul Train." But more than 20 years later Russell Neal made the news headlines for another reason, one that has people in shock. In June 2014, Russell apparently confessed to murdering his 24-year-old-wife – fitness model and aspiring boxer, Catherine “Brasilia” Martinez.
Russell was living in Houston, TX at the time of the incident. Houston police said that he walked into the Houston sheriff’s department building and stated something like ‘My wife is dead. I would like an attorney.’ He then calmly waited for the cops to question him and take him away. The cops eventually arrested him without incident. After Russell was booked, he told police Catherine’s body was at their home at the apartment complex. Police said they had to break the door down and once inside, they found Catherine Martinez, dead on the living room floor with multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma injuries to her head. Her body was covered with a blanket and her autopsy results showed that she died from puncture wounds. He was later released on $100,000 bond as he awaited trial.
The last we’ve heard is that Russell is currently confined to a mental institution, after the court deemed him to be ‘too incompetent’ to stand trial…even though officers reportedly stated, ‘he knew what he was doing when he killed Catherine.’
Years prior to Russell reportedly confessing to murdering his wife, his younger brother, Ronald Neal, had already been convicted for doing the same to his. Ronald was convicted of killing his 29-year-old wife, Stovyne Magee. This group has seen the worst of times! In 2007, former lead singer Tony Thompson was found dead of an apparent drug overdose - he was 31 years old. Shortly after their album dropped in 1992, group member Roderick "Pooh" Clark was paralyzed from the waist down after being involved in a car accident.
