The man accused last month of stealing his dog back from a New Jersey animal rescue farm has been charged with stabbing a man to death in North Carolina, authorities said.

Brandon Michael Bussey, 20, and his roommate in Winston-Salem are both facing first-degree murder charges in the Oct. 28 stabbing death of their third roommate, Marcus Warren Smith, 26, according to police in North Carolina.

While police did not disclose whether they recovered the dog from the crime scene, Funny Farm Rescue announced Tuesday morning that Caesar, the dog that Bussey had allegedly surrendered and then absconded with, had been returned to the Mays Landing rescue.

Winston-Salem police said they were called to an Academy Street residence around 3 a.m. Oct. 28 for reports of “sounds of a struggle or assault” coming from an apartment. Officers found Smith dying from stab wounds, and also found the two roommates, Bussey and Jesse Jesus Sanchez, 20, police said.

Both men are being held in the Forsyth County Detention Center with no bond and are scheduled to appear in court Nov. 14, police said.

Brandon M. Bussey, left, and Jesse J. Sanchez, right, are both charged with murdering their roommate, Marcus Warren Smith, 26, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Oct. 28, 2019.Winston-Salem police

It’s not clear how Bussey ended up in North Carolina.

In the original Facebook post describing the alleged theft of the dog, Funny Farm Rescue described Bussey as a runaway from Missouri who ended up in a youth homeless shelter in Atlantic City.

The rescue said in a lengthy post, which has since been removed, that the homeless shelter said Bussey could only get a place to live if he surrendered the dog, Caesar. The rescue owner, Laurie Zaleski, originally told Bussey he’d have to pay for the dog to be neutered and vaccinated, and could have the dog back if his situation improved, the post said.

But when Bussey continued to be unable to care for the dog, a volunteer at the rescue came up with a different plan, offering Bussey $1,000 to surrender his dog to the rescue, with the condition that he could come visit it.

He agreed, but when he was at the rescue later that day, he grabbed the dog and fled, getting into an SUV that sped away, the post said. The rescue never said when this happened, but it posted the story — along with a photo of Bussey and Caesar — in early October.

On Monday, the rescue said Caesar was “home safe and sound” but that they could release no other information because of the investigation in North Carolina.

((( CAESAR IS HOME !!! ))) Caesar is home safe and sound!!! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Tucker is... Posted by Funny Farm Rescue on Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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