Judge upholds murder charge in NY speaker's death

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge says the charges against a man accused of stabbing a motivational speaker to death amount to a murder case, despite the man’s claim he only helped the speaker kill himself.

Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Carol Berkman says that the man’s account of Jeffrey Locker’s July death — if true — makes it murder, not assisted suicide.

The judge’s ruling last week said courts around the country have found that actively participating in a person’s death is murder, even if the person consents.

Kenneth Minor told authorities Locker paid him $1,000 to be killed in a seeming robbery, so Locker’s family could collect insurance money.

Minor’s lawyer had wanted the murder charges lowered to manslaughter or promoting a suicide.