The New York Police Department will hold a press conference on July 17th. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / AP / dpa (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / dpa)
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The brutal murder of a 33-year-old tech entrepreneur in New York seems to be solved only a few days after his body, which was probably dismembered with an electric saw, was found.
The victim’s 21-year-old former assistant was arrested on Friday and is charged with murder, said Rodney Harrison of New York police.
During a court hearing on Saturday, the prosecutor spoke of the “New York Post” according to “overwhelming evidence”. Surveillance cameras filmed the man buying the saw in a hardware store. He was identified on the recordings by several people.
The man was responsible for the victim’s finances and personal affairs, according to police. However, he owed his former employer “a significant sum of money”. The case made headlines around the world.
The victim’s body was found earlier this week by his cousin in the man’s luxury apartment in a trendy district in southern Manhattan. According to media reports, the cousin wanted to see if she was okay because she hadn’t heard from him in a long time. In the apartment she found the dismembered body – several body parts were stuffed in large plastic bags – and called the police. An electric saw was still wired to a socket near the body.
The alleged perpetrator followed his victim in the elevator to the apartment on Monday, the police said. He had incapacitated his former boss with a stun gun and then attacked him. According to the coroner, the victim died from numerous stab wounds to the neck and upper body.
According to media reports, the alleged perpetrator then wanted to remove the traces of his act and bought cleaning products for this purpose. Maybe the cousin’s visit on Tuesday bothered him and he disappeared through the back entrance of the apartment. He was arrested three days later at a friend’s home not far away.
The man worked for the victim for several years, it said. After the technology entrepreneur realized that he had stolen around 90,000 dollars from him, he fired him – but did not report the crime and set up a repayment plan.
“We are deeply sad to have to inform about the sudden and tragic death of our founder,” said Gokada, the entrepreneur’s start-up, which offers motorcycle rides primarily in Nigeria’s capital Lagos, via Twitter. “He was a great leader, inspiration, and positive light for all of us.” The victim’s family said the man had “a brilliant and innovative spirit.”
The victim’s parents are from Bangladesh; he was born in Saudi Arabia. The family later moved to New York State, where the man founded several Internet companies.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 200719-99-843764 / 2 (dpa)
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