Housing people with mental illness has been a priority in New Jersey. The state contracts with several companies and nonprofits that help coordinate that housing. But what happens when those arrangements go awry? NJ Advance Media reporter Adam Clark recently wrote about Frank Rance and Frankie Majuri, two men diagnosed with schizophrenia, whose time living together ended with one strangled to death in November 2021 and the other, charged in his death.

Rance and Majuri were placed living together in a condo in Wayne by a not-for-profit organization called SERV, which helps adults with mental illness find housing.

“This story is really the worst nightmare scenario for anyone who has a family member with serious mental illness,” Clark said in an interview with NJ Spotlight News.

“And Frank Rance, on the night of November 5th, 2021, was convinced that his roommate Frank Majuri had stolen his Social Security check. He called police and the police arrived. They questioned Frank Majuri, who told them that he did not take the check. He went to the mailbox and opened it again to prove the check wasn’t there. And the officer instructed Frank Rance to call the Social Security office and request a new check. The officer asked for assurance that there wasn’t going to be any problems when he left.”

About an hour after police left, Rance called 911 to report Majuri dead and admitting that he had strangled him.

Rance has been charged with first-degree murder. But family members of both men say that SERV, the organization that housed them, missed weekly check-ins that would have alerted them to Rance’s deteriorating mental health.

“What we found through our investigation was that Frank Rance was having trouble sleeping, that he was having some delusions and paranoia. He was calling police once at 4 a.m. about missing mail. He was convinced that a former roommate was impersonating the FBI to try to get in touch with him. And then, of course, he was convinced on that night that his roommate had taken his check.”

Questions remain about the state’s responsibility in this case as well, since it contracts with SERV.

“Frank Majuri’s family would love to see a Frank’s Law. They would love to see someone step up and try to address the issues in this case and figure out what can be done to prevent this from happening again,” Clark said.