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L.I. Motivational Speaker Found Dead In Harlem
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 17, 2009
Modified Jul 17, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 17, 2009
Modified Jul 17, 2009
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A motivational speaker from Long Island was found dead in his car yesterday morning. Jeff Locker's stabbed and strangled body was discovered in his 2007 Dodge sedan, which was parked on Paladino Avenue, near 124th Street, in East Harlem. According to the Daily News, his "his hands [were] tied behind his back and a cord [was] wrapped around his neck and tied to the headrest. He had been stabbed in the chest and robbed, police sources said."
Apparently Locker had called his wife on Wednesday night and said he had a flat tire, but a couple was helping him. The Post suggests that Locker was ambushed during the flat tire incident—a neighbor of Locker's says, "The family was told that he was changing a tire at the Triborough"—which is near Paladino Avenue—"and he got robbed by some guys he thought were trying to help him."
However, the News spoke to witnesses who say they saw Locker early Thursday morning, around 3 a.m.: "He got out of the car and bought a bottle of water and a pack of Trojan condoms. He seemed cool, relaxed. The next time we see him, he's here dead." (Which is why the police are investigating whether Locker regularly visited a prostitute.) And a Post source says the Dodge's tires all had air in them, "Maybe the tire was flat, it ain't flat now. There's something else to this story."
Locker's wife did not know why her husband was in East Harlem. Her mother told the News, "He probably trusted someone. He was a very trusting person. That's probably how it happened. You could sell him the Brooklyn Bridge."
Tagged
east harlem
flat tire
harlem
jeff locker
murder
Paladino Avenue
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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