CRIME & PUNISHMENT

Police Identify Two Suspects In Brutal Slaying Of Gay Chelsea Resident

Police have identified two suspects in the murder of John Laubach, a 57-year-old Chelsea gay man who was found bound and gagged in his apartment on March 2nd. They are named as Edwin Faulkner, 30, and Juan Carlos Martinez-Herrera, 26.

Various New York news outlets report that the two were caretakers for Laubach, who recently suffered a stroke, although whether that role was platonic or sexual remains unclear.

NY1 reports that “Sources say Laubach paid the two men to have sex with him.”

Reports the New York Times:

“They both have criminal histories,” said a police spokesman, who added that Mr. Faulkner had had several run-ins with the law in the New York area and that Mr. Martinez-Herrera had a criminal record in Florida.

And the New York Post:

“He hired them for a little bit of money to take care of him. Somewhere along the line, they decided to kill him and rob him,” said a law-enforcement source.

The Daily News says he was a neighborhood eccentric:

Laubach, who worked as an insurance executive, was well-known in his neighborhood and recognized by many because he usually walked around with a pet cockatoo on his shoulder.

If you have any information on the case or these suspects, call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-8477 or go to nypdcrimestoppers.com.

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