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.
'A million years isn't enough' NewsdayTV goes behind the scenes of the day Rex Heuermann was sentenced for the Gilgo killings.
'A million years isn't enough' NewsdayTV goes behind the scenes of the day Rex Heuermann was sentenced for the Gilgo killings.
