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FBI offers $25K for information in 1987 NYC cold case homicide
By
Gwynne Hogan
Published Dec 2, 2022
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FBI
By
Gwynne Hogan
Published Dec 2, 2022
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The FBI is offering up to $25,000 for information that could help track down a man wanted in a 1987 cold case murder in the East Village, according to a release sent out Friday morning.
David Liggett, who would now be 73-years-old, has been on the lam since shortly after the alleged murder of Kissoon Adams, at 343 E. 10th Street, at what now houses a tattoo parlor across from Tompkins Square Park.
Authorities say Liggett was trying to sell jewelry to buy drugs, and an acquaintance took him to the E. 10th street location to meet with a potential buyer.
But instead of a sale, Liggett attacked would-be buyer Adams, who used a wheelchair, fatally stabbing him, and threatening to kill the acquaintance if she told the authorities.
Since the murder, Liggett, who lived in Hoboken at the time, is thought to have escaped the country with a fake passport traveling to Southeast Asia and the Philippines as well as parts of Northern Canada. He also has ties to Illinois and Iowa, according to the FBI, and has a distinctive "Snoopy" tattoo on his left arm.
New NYPD and FBI case agents were assigned Adams’ murder case several months ago and have been poring through the files and re-interviewing witnesses and people who Liggett knew at the time of the killing, according to Amy J. Thoreson, an FBI spokesperson.
They’ve since pieced together more information about his whereabouts over the past three decades and decided to up the reward to $25,000 to see if it could kick up any new potential leads.
Liggett has been wanted for Adams murder for decades and, in 2001, he made the NYPD’s list of “top 10 most sought after fugitives,” according to a report in the Daily News.
The number of murders in New York City reached historic highs in the 1980’s and 1990’s, with more than 2,245 people killed on city streets in 1990.
Anyone with information can call the FBI New York at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or the NYPD at 800-577-TIPS.
Tagged
fbi
cold case
new jersey
homicide investigation
Gwynne Hogan
Gwynne Hogan is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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