Death Wish

Summary

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“48 Hours” — "Death Wish" (Aired: July 16, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this riveting episode, “48 Hours” investigates the perplexing death of motivational speaker Jeffrey Locker, found stabbed in his car in East Harlem in 2009. On the surface, Locker was a successful, devoted family man — but his murder uncovers a story of financial ruin, staged crime, and the blurred lines between suicide and homicide. Through interviews with law enforcement, reporters, the accused, and key witnesses, the episode explores whether Locker orchestrated his own death for an insurance payout and whether Kenneth Minor, the man who helped him die, was a cold-blooded killer or an unwilling pawn in Locker’s desperate endgame.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Discovery of the Body and Initial Investigation

• Jeffrey Locker, a prominent motivational speaker, is found dead in a car in Harlem, with his hands tied and multiple stab wounds—an apparent robbery gone wrong ([00:08-01:35]).
• Early police theories center on a street crime, but inconsistencies quickly emerge: Locker reported a flat tire to his wife, but his car showed no such problem ([01:57-02:04]).
• The family's reaction to the news of Locker’s death seems oddly muted, prompting suspicion:

  “I remember the daughter saying that she's going back to bed. It was like we were telling them something they already knew.” — Detective Kevin Flynn or Jeff Hirschman ([08:03])

2. A Double Life? Public Persona vs. Private Reality

• Locker lived a picture-perfect life on Long Island:

  “He had this Facebook site that had pictures of nothing but the happy, perfect American family.” — Murray Weiss ([00:36])

• Former colleagues and friends defend Locker’s integrity and devotion to his family, rejecting police suspicion that he might have been seeking drugs or sex in Harlem ([05:02-05:43]).
• Locker’s business success was unraveling—he was in deep financial trouble, with lawsuits and debts mounting ([24:14]).

3. Kenneth Minor: Not a Typical "Killer" Suspect

• Kenneth Minor, initially suspected as a typical street murderer, tells an unbelievable story: Locker hired him to kill him so his family could collect life insurance ([09:47-13:12]).

• Minor describes how Locker tried to enlist him, asking for a gun to stage the murder. When Minor can’t deliver, Locker insists on being killed another way:

  “I want you to kill me. I need it to look like a robbery.” — Kenneth Minor, quoting Locker ([16:00])

• Minor details how Locker gave him his ATM card and PIN as payment for helping arrange his own death ([17:25-17:39]).

4. The Plan: Insurance, Desperation, and “Suicide by Murder”

• Police and reporters discover Locker’s recent, massive life insurance policies: over $12 million ([24:46]).
• Motive: Locker’s suicide would void the payout. The death had to appear as a murder ([25:04]).
• Evidence emerges Locker tried to recruit others, like con man Melvin Fleming, to “whack” him just days before his actual death:

  “He said, I've been trying to find some gang members to whack me... has to look like a robbery, and my body has to be left where it can be found." — Melvin Fleming ([21:13-21:54])

• Minor’s account: After failing with a wire, Locker directs Minor to use a knife, lunging onto it himself repeatedly:

  "He lunges forward four times into the knife… moves the knife to the right and lunges two more times." — Detective Robert Stewart ([18:06])

5. Family’s Possible Knowledge

• The defense suggests Locker’s family may have been aware of his plan. Evidence includes a text from Locker’s son referencing the father's absence at the daughter's wedding, hinting at foreknowledge ([26:00-26:26]).
• However, family friend Steve D’Annunzio rejects this possibility, stating:

  “Lois is the kind of person to say… you don’t kill yourself. Completely impossible.” ([27:03])

6. Legal Complexity: Assisted Suicide or Murder?

• Defense Argument: Minor wasn’t a murderer, but a pawn or “the building Locker jumped off,” helping a desperate man commit suicide ([27:59-29:40]).
• Prosecution View: Minor was motivated by money, not mercy, and comparison to Melvin Fleming (who walked away) underlines the moral choice ([28:19-29:21]).
• Jury Deliberation: Ultimately, the jury is sympathetic to Minor, but unconvinced.

  “He was picked out to do this thing. He didn’t seek it out. The sympathy for the man was enormous... These two men in this death spiral downward.” — Juror Kurt Markle ([37:46])

• Minor is convicted of murder, not assisted suicide ([38:25]).

7. Forensic Debate

• The defense brings in controversial expert Dr. Cyril Wecht, who testifies that Locker could have stabbed himself in the way Minor described ([32:22-33:49]).
• The prosecution’s forensic arguments challenge this, pointing to the lack of blood on the steering wheel and dashboard:

  “How... not one drop of it is going to come off and go forward?” — Prosecutor Peter Casalero ([34:36])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “No, no, no, this can’t be. He was somebody that was a really kind, generous, loving, integrity filled person.” — Steve D’Annunzio ([00:51])
• “He did not want this for me, for me to lose the rest of my life. In the end, Mr. Locker’s where he wanted to be.” — Kenneth Minor, addressing the court at sentencing ([39:47])
• “In the end, the judge sees it differently. He is sentenced to a term of 20 years.” ([40:24])
• “The left side of my brain says it was suicide. The right in my brain says it was murder…I want to believe in my friend, so I’m choosing to believe it was murder. Will we ever know the truth? I don’t think so.” — Steve D’Annunzio ([41:44])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:08-01:35 — The discovery and crime scene overview
• 03:28-05:08 — Argument over Locker’s alleged double life
• 09:47-13:12 — Kenneth Minor’s initial police interview and ‘Kevorkian’ defense
• 16:00-17:39 — Details of Locker’s request and his insurance motive
• 21:00-22:01 — Melvin Fleming’s account of Locker’s search for someone to kill him
• 24:14-25:04 — Locker’s financial troubles and insurance policies
• 27:59-29:40 — The legal battle: assisted suicide vs. murder
• 32:22-34:17 — Forensic debate over how Locker died
• 37:01-38:49 — Jury and closing arguments
• 39:47-40:35 — Sentencing and Minor’s statement to the court
• 41:44-42:13 — Final reflections and unresolved questions

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Conclusion

"Death Wish" presents a stranger-than-fiction exploration of personal downfall, desperation, and the razor-thin moral lines at the heart of the criminal justice system. Jeffrey Locker’s death becomes a mirror for the audience to examine what constitutes murder, agency, and complicity. The episode leaves the central question unresolved: Was this a murder, an assisted suicide, or, tragically, both? As friend Steve D’Annunzio observes, “Will we ever know the truth? I don’t think so.” ([41:44])

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For further details, listen to full interviews and case analysis on the “48 Hours” YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

[Narrator]

I need a 25 unit for 30 Palladino Avenue. 30 Palladino Avenue.

[Murray Weiss]

One regards to the way in a vehicle.

[Narrator]

A man is found dead inside a car in Manhattan. Registered owner is Jeffrey B. Locke.

[Murray Weiss]

Jeffrey Locker was a man who had, on the surface, the American dream.

[Motivational Speaker (Jeffrey Locker)]

There is no such thing as failure. There's only learning opportunities and chances to reinvent.

[Murray Weiss]

He lived in one of the most affluent neighborhoods of suburban New York. Most of the people who live there are millionaires. He had this Facebook site that had pictures of nothing but the happy, perfect American family.

[Steve D'Annunzio]

Lois called me and she said, jeff's been murdered. And I said, no, no, no, this can't be. You know, this just can't be. I mean, he was somebody that was a really kind, generous, loving, integrity filled person.

[Murray Weiss]

Geoffrey Locker created a wonderful personal industry for himself as a highly demanded motivational speaker.

[Motivational Speaker (Jeffrey Locker)]

I can get everything in this world that I want if I'm willing to help enough other people get exactly what they want first.

[Murray Weiss]

Jeffrey Locker was found in one of the roughest, most difficult parts of New York City in har. My name is Murray Weiss. I was working at the New York Post as their criminal justice editor on the day Jeffrey Locke was found dead in East Harlem in his car.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

The initial idea was that it was some type of robbery. But you had the ligatures, you had the stab wounds, the hands tied behind the back. It just seemed like a lot going on for a simple street robbery. And if it's not a simple street robbery, what could it be? This particular victim was reported missing by his family the night before.

[Murray Weiss]

He called his home at one point, and he told his wife that he had a flat tire and that some people had come to help him.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

But then we started looking at the car. It didn't appear to me that he got a flat at all. I'm starting to think that there's something wrong here.

[Detective Kevin Flynn or Jeff Hirschman]

We went out to his house. His wife was there. Then we had to tell him we found her husband's body where it was that he had passed away. The reaction of the kids and her, I couldn't put my finger on it right then and there. People handle grief differently. But to me, something was not right.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

The initial investigations in any homicide is to canvass to see if anybody saw anything.

[Kenneth Minor]

At first I seen him circle the block a couple times. You know, I said, what do you want? And then he told me, do what

[Motivational Speaker (Jeffrey Locker)]

needs to be done when it needs to be done without taking no for an answer from anyone, especially from yourself.

[Kenneth Minor]

I said, you're out of your mind. You're out of your mind.

[Detective Kevin Flynn or Jeff Hirschman]

I mean, every case is different. This pretty much takes the cake.

[Steve D'Annunzio]

No, completely impossible.

[Murray Weiss]

You know, I've covered 30 odd thousand homicides. There's never been a story like this one.

[Narrator]

Strange that he would end up down there, huh?

[Detective Robert Stewart]

Well, absolutely was.

[Narrator]

New York City police detective Robert Stewart started noticing all sorts of strange things when Jeffrey Locker was found here. Stabbed to death in front of a Harlem housing project in July 2009.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

Jeffrey Locker was an upper middle class individual with a nice home in Long island.

[Narrator]

Locher was 52, the father of three. His Facebook page filled with those images of a tight knit family. And there was a reason it looked like he was a victim of a robbery.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

His ATM card was not amongst his belongings.

[Laura Italiano]

Poor guy comes in from Long island, next thing you know, he's slumped dead at his steering wheel.

[Narrator]

To New York Post reporter Laura Italiano, it fit a pattern every New Yorker has seen before. Jeffrey Locker was in the wrong place at the wrong time and trusted the wrong people.

[Laura Italiano]

Your typical suburban cautionary tale, you know, lock your doors when you drive through some of these neighborhoods.

[Narrator]

But then a witness told police Locker bought condoms in a local store, and detectives suspected he was looking for a prostitute.

[Laura Italiano]

The double life story is a much better story.

[Steve D'Annunzio]

He was respectful and a faithful family man.

[Narrator]

Steve D' Annunzio knew Jeff Locker for almost 30 years, and he had news for the reporters and the cops. There was no way Locker was in Harlem to visit a prostitute. Locher was devoted to his wife, Lois.

[Motivational Speaker (Jeffrey Locker)]

My wife told me this morning, I can't even say hello in 15 minutes.

[Steve D'Annunzio]

One of the last things he said to me when the last time we were together is, Lois is my best friend.

[Narrator]

Just a few weeks before Jeff was killed, d' Annunzio was at a family celebration in honor of Lois and Jeff's daughter.

[Steve D'Annunzio]

It seemed like a gala event. One of the most loving families I ever met.

[Narrator]

The police theories were collapsing. Despite what that witness said, police could find no evidence that Locker bought condoms or was looking for sex or drugs. But police did know Geoffrey Locker had no business being in that neighborhood. His business usually took him far from Harlem, closer to Wall Street.

[Motivational Speaker (Jeffrey Locker)]

Life is all about timing.

[Narrator]

That's where he became a very successful motivational speaker specializing in in the insurance industry.

[Motivational Speaker (Jeffrey Locker)]

How do we keep our existing clients knowing we love and appreciate them while we're fishing for new prospects?

[Narrator]

My image of Jeff is of a well dressed guy who always oozes success. Insurance executive Robert Miller says Locker seemed to know how to encourage Insurance salesmen who he says frequently feel underappreciated.

[Motivational Speaker (Jeffrey Locker)]

Be a giver, be a resource. Help people first.

[Steve D'Annunzio]

He was very self confident. He had good presence.

[Narrator]

In the early 90s, Al Brodbeck hired locker as his personal business coach.

[Steve D'Annunzio]

He'd go over various activities. What he felt I was doing right, what I could do better at.

[Narrator]

A few years later, Brodbeck didn't need Locker anymore, and he lost sight of the man who seemed for so long to be a rising star. But Locker still had that house in this expensive suburb on New York's Long Island. When NYPD detectives went to tell Locher's family he was dead.

[Detective Kevin Flynn or Jeff Hirschman]

It's never easy to tell somebody that you just lost a family member, but it's part of the job.

[Narrator]

Detectives Kevin Flynn and Jeff Hirschman brace themselves for what is almost always a highly emotional, traumatic meeting. But they needn't have bothered. They don't think Mrs. Locker got very emotional, nor did the kids. When the detectives watched her break the news to them,

[Prosecutor Peter Casalero]

they didn't seem to take it as a shock.

[Detective Kevin Flynn or Jeff Hirschman]

I remember the daughter saying that she's going back to bed. It was like we were telling them something they already knew. And when we walked out the door, Jeff looked at me and I looked at Jeff. I said, are we in bizarro world? Unless this is the way to handle grief, which could very well be possible. I'm not making any judgments. That was weird. It was just weird.

[Narrator]

They told other detectives about their visit with the Lockers, but the case started moving quickly. Surveillance cameras caught pictures of a man entering Locker's car around the time police believe Locker was killed and leaving shortly after. And then police heard from Locker's bank about that missing ATM card.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

We received at least five different locations in which someone accessed the victim's ATM card.

[Narrator]

Whoever it was got $1,100. And it was all caught on security cameras. The police quickly got these videos from corner stores and small businesses all over the neighborhood.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

At each location, it was the same individual using the ATM card. We had Stills made of the pictures, and eventually somebody said, no, that's Kenneth Minor.

[Narrator]

Kenneth Minor?

[Detective Robert Stewart]

That's correct.

[Narrator]

They hauled in Kenneth Minor. It was not his first brush with the law. He had a record of drug violations and a robbery. A sad profile that fits many murderers. But Kenneth Minor had a story unlike any other murder suspect.

[Kenneth Minor]

Nobody wanted to believe me.

[Narrator]

It all started when he met Locker on a street corner in Harlem. What did he say?

[Kenneth Minor]

He said that he was looking for a gun.

[Juror Kurt Markle]

A gun?

[Kenneth Minor]

Yeah. I asked him what he wanted for. And he was quiet for a second. And then he told me, I want you to shoot me.

[Narrator]

He said it just like that?

[Kenneth Minor]

Just like that. Evening. Buyer's remorse. Buy a new car. I'll be moving in.

[Narrator]

Let's get started.

[Carvana Representative]

Sorry, I think there's been a mistake. I bought it from Carvana.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

You what?

[Carvana Representative]

Yeah, Great price. I even have seven days to love it or return it.

[Kenneth Minor]

So there's no.

[Carvana Representative]

No, no buyer's remorse. More like buyers rejoice.

[Kenneth Minor]

I guess I'll let myself out. Congratulations. I mean it.

[Carvana Representative]

Buyers rejoice. Buy your car today on Carvana. Limitations and exclusions may apply. See our seven day return [e-mail].

[Lemonade Pet Insurance Advertiser]

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[Kenneth Minor]

They came in all gung ho. Murder one, robbery. We got you. You just killed this rich man. And I just sat there with a smirk on my face like, you know, you have no idea. You know, this is not what happened.

[Narrator]

For more than 10 hours, Kenneth Minor sat in the interrogation room telling police essentially nothing.

[Kenneth Minor]

I mean, how do I broach the situation? How do I even start to open up and tell him? Who would believe the story?

[Narrator]

He wanted to explain that Jeffrey Locker had asked, in fact, practically begged to be killed. Finally, he found what he thought were the right words.

[Kenneth Minor]

This was a Kevorkian.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

He had said that this male wanted to do a Kevorkian.

[Narrator]

Detective Robert Stewart was one of the detectives talking to Minor. A Kevorkian?

[Detective Robert Stewart]

A Kevorkian?

[Narrator]

Like Dr. Kevorkian?

[Detective Robert Stewart]

Yes.

[Narrator]

The suicide doctor.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

Exactly.

[Kenneth Minor]

I said, do you know what that means? He said, yes, suicide. I said, okay, there you go. Now have a seat.

[Narrator]

He was ready to tell his story. It began on that street corner in Harlem.

[Kenneth Minor]

I had a real drinking problem and I needed to make a couple extra dollars. So I was buying drugs and reselling them at a higher price. And then Mr. Locker pulled up.

[Narrator]

Locker got out of his car.

[Kenneth Minor]

You could tell by his body Language that he wanted something, but he didn't know how to act for it. So I approached him. What do you want?

[Narrator]

Locker, he says, wanted someone to get him a gun.

[Kenneth Minor]

That's when I told him to get out of here. Get away from me. You gotta be police. Get out of here. He jumped in the car and he left.

[Narrator]

And then what happened?

[Kenneth Minor]

He came back, which impressed me.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

So at that point, Candace says he leans into the car and Jeffrey Locker tells him, I want you to shoot me.

[Kenneth Minor]

I want you to shoot me to kill me.

[Narrator]

He said that?

[Kenneth Minor]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

Jeffrey Locker says, did Kenneth Minor shoot me?

[Detective Robert Stewart]

Mm.

[Narrator]

So, I mean, in your 37 years as a detective, have you ever had anybody say something quite like that?

[Detective Robert Stewart]

No. No. This was the first.

[Narrator]

Do you remember how he said, I want somebody to shoot me? Do you remember what tone of voice he had?

[Kenneth Minor]

It wasn't quiet. Like it was eerie.

[Forensic Expert Cyril Wecht]

Eerie?

[Kenneth Minor]

Yeah, it was. I thought he was pulling my chain, but it got my attention.

[Narrator]

Minor says he wasn't interested in shooting Locker just yet, but he thought he might make some money if he could sell Locker a gun.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

So he tells him, give me $60 and your phone number, and I'll go see if I can find somebody to help.

[Narrator]

He came up with the $60 pretty quickly.

[Kenneth Minor]

Yeah, there you go.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

Kenneth Miner tells him, I'll call you.

[Narrator]

Kenneth Minor knew just where to go to spend his newfound money. He headed straight for an acquaintance's apartment.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

And by all accounts, Kenneth Minor buys crack, gets high.

[Narrator]

Were you able to get him a gun?

[Kenneth Minor]

No.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

He says that he calls Jeffrey Locker.

[Kenneth Minor]

I told him that it don't look good right now, and, well, let's meet up and I'll tell you face to face. I don't want to say it over the phone. I wasn't all the way sure of his intentions. I wanted to see, you know, see if I could finagle a few more dollars without. Without having this turn bad.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

On the way out of the apartment, he says he ripped section of phone wire from the wall.

[Kenneth Minor]

I was a little paranoid at the time, and a couple people saw me use that. Used the phone. I was drinking heavily. I might have done a few drugs, so I wasn't thinking clearly.

[Narrator]

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

[Kenneth Minor]

It seemed like a perfect idea at

[Narrator]

the time to take the phone wire.

[Kenneth Minor]

Looks like I wasn't here.

[Narrator]

Minor got back into Locker's car.

[Kenneth Minor]

At first, I was just trying to explain to him about not being successful in getting what he wanted. And then, hold on. He took a phone call. Oh, my. People Are calling me.

[Narrator]

Who's calling?

[Kenneth Minor]

I think it was his wife. He's like, I got a flat tire. It's being taken care of. Some guys were helping him. I found it kind of amusing that he was lying.

[Narrator]

Minor was starting to worry about what Jeffrey Locker would ask him to do now that he could not get him a gun.

[Kenneth Minor]

That's when he said it again. I want you to kill me. I said, why don't you just go and jump in the river? It's right there.

[Narrator]

And what did he say?

[Kenneth Minor]

I need it to look like a robbery. And he explained to me why.

[Narrator]

Miner says Locher wanted his family to collect millions of dollars from his life insurance policies. If he committed suicide, there would be no payout, so it had to look like he was murdered. Locker apparently believed he was worth more dead than alive.

[Kenneth Minor]

He started explaining to me that he got caught up in some Ponzi scheme, that he had all kinds of lawsuits against him, and that he was losing everything. And to him, that was like death in itself.

[Narrator]

Losing his money was like death.

[Kenneth Minor]

Losing everything, you know, not being able to support his family the way that they were accustomed to. To him, it was like, this is it. If you don't do it, somebody else will if you don't. But this is getting done.

[Narrator]

That's what he said.

[Kenneth Minor]

This is getting done.

[Narrator]

Did he seem scared?

[Kenneth Minor]

No.

[Forensic Expert Cyril Wecht]

Sad.

[Kenneth Minor]

Maybe a little sad. Maybe a little sad because I knew, you know, that he loved his children. You know what I mean? He kind of reached me in that car just talking to me, you know, just like, you know, I'm just. I'm just like you. Just from a different side of the train tracks.

[Narrator]

Did he show you picture of his kids?

[Kenneth Minor]

Yep.

[Narrator]

What'd you think?

[Kenneth Minor]

I don't know. There was no talking him off the ledge at that point.

[Narrator]

Minor says Locker promised if he helped him, he could clean out his bank account. So Locker gave Minor his ATM card and the pin.

[Kenneth Minor]

I still know the number.

[Narrator]

What was the number?

[Kenneth Minor]

1322.

[Narrator]

But according to Minor, killing Jeffrey Locker was not easy. He couldn't find a gun, so he tried to strangle Locker with that phone wire. But that didn't work either.

[Kenneth Minor]

The wire popped.

[Narrator]

The wire broke.

[Kenneth Minor]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

So Miner says Locker told him to take a knife out of the glove compartment and hold it against the steering wheel wheel.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

He says that Jeffrey Locker then lunges forward four times into the knife. Then Jeffrey Locker tells him, move it to the right side, where my heart is. So then Kenneth Minor said that he moves the knife to the right side and he Lunges forward into the knife two more times.

[Kenneth Minor]

So wait a minute.

[Narrator]

So he's lunging forward.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

This is Kenneth.

[Narrator]

Into a knife.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

This is Kenneth Minor's story.

[Narrator]

Was he still alive when you left the car?

[Kenneth Minor]

Yeah, very much so.

[Narrator]

Still breathing? Yeah, normally.

[Kenneth Minor]

Or it was gurgled. But he also turned and looked at me. He just had a smirk on his face. I think I said something to him. You got what you wanted. You happy now?

[Laura Italiano]

There was a unanimous guffaw over this story.

[Narrator]

New York Post reporter Laura Italiano says Minor seemed like just another killer concocting an impossible story to beat the rap. His tale was good for a laugh, but not much else. And after he told it, Minor was charged with murder.

[Laura Italiano]

Defendants will say the darndest things when they're trying to save their necks. A guy from Long island comes into the ghetto shopping for his own murderer. Who's ever heard of this?

[Narrator]

And the police who thought they'd heard everything were about to learn that's exactly what Geoffrey Locker was doing. He had tried this before.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

He did.

[Narrator]

So as crazy as this story is

[Detective Robert Stewart]

sounding to you, it didn't get any less crazy. It just started to make sense.

[Kenneth Minor]

I couldn't believe what he was proposing. I want you to kill me. I need you to help me out.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

I absolutely didn't believe it.

[Narrator]

Even Kenneth Minor's own defense lawyer, Dan Gotland, didn't believe his story that Jeffrey Locker wanted Miner to stab him to death.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

My first reaction was, this is as likely as there being a new life form on earth. You know, I. I thought, no way this could be true.

[Narrator]

That was before he heard about this man, Melvin Fleming, and his meeting with Geoffrey Locker.

[Melvin Fleming]

I met him at 128th street and Park Avenue in Harlem.

[Narrator]

It was just days before Locker's death.

[Melvin Fleming]

It was parked right here.

[Narrator]

Melvin Fleming asked Locker for a quarter.

[Melvin Fleming]

He gave me five bucks. And I said, hey, thank you. If there's anything that I could ever do you for, just let me know.

[Narrator]

Of course, he says, Locker did have something in mind.

[Melvin Fleming]

He said, I've been trying to find some gang members to whack me. I looked at him and I said, knock you off? He said, yeah, you know, make me dead. I said, wow, that's a big request. You know, the mob pay a lot of money for doing a job like that, and little kids is double.

[Narrator]

Melvin says he knew a money making opportunity when he saw one.

[Melvin Fleming]

I said, sure, I can help you.

[Narrator]

And Fleming says that's when Jeffrey Locker spelled out that same bizarre plan. Minor says he talked to him about arranging his own murder so the Locker family could collect millions of dollars in life insurance.

[Melvin Fleming]

He definitely said to me, it has to look like a robbery, and my body has to be left where it can be found.

[Narrator]

Do you remember what you thought?

[Melvin Fleming]

I thought to her, well, I got a guy here that I could take to the bank.

[Narrator]

For two nights, Fleming and Locker drove around Harlem. Fleming says Locker was looking for the best place to get killed.

[Detective Robert Stewart]

Melvin kind of thought the entire thing was fairly humorous. He knew that he wasn't going to do this.

[Narrator]

It was Locker's bad luck. He hoped Melvin Fleming was a killer. Killer, but he was really just a con man.

[Melvin Fleming]

Con man don't go around killing people. They con people.

[Narrator]

And Fleming says he conned Locker out of almost $7,000 cash that locker was carrying around.

[Melvin Fleming]

He really believed me that I was gonna do this for him.

[Narrator]

He says Locker thought this Harlem bus terminal would be a good spot to die. How many ideas did he have for ways that you could kill him?

[Melvin Fleming]

Stabbing him, shooting him, and hitting him over the head here.

[Narrator]

But by now, Melvin just wanted to get out of there with his money. So he told Locker to drive to the nearby housing projects instead, where Melvin promised he would get a gun and kill Locker.

[Melvin Fleming]

I asked him just to sit there in the car, roll the window down, put the seatbelt on. I'll be right back.

[Narrator]

Of course, he never came back. He says he left a desperate Jeffrey Locker to find someone else to kill him. And within hours, Locker found Kenneth Minor. Do you believe Jeffrey Locker wanted to die that night?

[Detective Robert Stewart]

100%.

[Narrator]

Do you believe he wanted Kenneth Minor to kill him that night?

[Detective Robert Stewart]

Absolutely.

[Steve D'Annunzio]

My first words out of my mouth was, don't believe it. Don't believe it.

[Narrator]

Locker's friend, Steve d', Annunzio, says he was certain Locker would never plan his own murder.

[Steve D'Annunzio]

That is not something that this person that I knew for 27 years would ever do.

[Narrator]

But the evidence was starting to pile up.

[Murray Weiss]

The detectives and the prosecutors began to look into Locker's financial history.

[Narrator]

Murray Weiss is a seasoned police reporter and a CBS News consultant. He says investigators discovered Locker had a lot of financial problems.

[Murray Weiss]

Mr. Locker was in debt. He had a very heavy mortgage on his house.

[Narrator]

On top of that, he was being sued for more than $300,000 resulting from an investment that turned out to be a Ponzi scheme.

[Murray Weiss]

I would say that Mr. Locker was backed into a very bad financial corner, and I think he saw that there was only one way out for him.

[Narrator]

That may be why, in the months before he died, the Geoffrey Locker purchased a staggering amount of life insurance.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

There were $12 million, a little more than 12 million, actually. 12 million, I think $150,000.

[Kenneth Minor]

$12 million.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

$12 million.

[Narrator]

If you take out an insurance policy, you can't just jump off a bridge the next day and expect to collect. He had to make this look like a murder.

[Murray Weiss]

Correct.

[Narrator]

And Kenneth Minor says it was his strong impression that the Locker family knew all about it.

[Kenneth Minor]

Absolutely.

[Narrator]

Absolutely.

[Kenneth Minor]

Absolutely.

[Narrator]

Why do you think that?

[Kenneth Minor]

Because the way he told me, he said bye to everybody. I mean, he didn't just say bye, I'm going to work, I'll be back later.

[Narrator]

He said goodbye, as in he crossed

[Kenneth Minor]

all his T's and dotted all his I's.

[Narrator]

And his family knew that he was off to end his life one way or another.

[Kenneth Minor]

One way or another, he was gonna take one for the team.

[Narrator]

Melvin Fleming says he heard the same thing.

[Melvin Fleming]

He said his family's familiar with it and they are okay with it. And he has to do this.

[Narrator]

And police found evidence that Dan Gotland says shows Locker's family may well have known what he was planning. He'll show the jury a text message from Locker's teenage son. Written just days before Locker's death.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

It talks about a video that the father is apparently making.

[Narrator]

He's telling his father to include a special message for his 13 year old sister. And says, remember, you won't be there to give her away. It's an important milestone for a woman getting married to also have her father. So if you could also add in hers that you will be there in spirit giving her away.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

Which would lead one to believe that. That the son must have known that the father was planning something.

[Narrator]

No one from the Locker family would speak to us for this broadcast. And no one from the Locker family has ever been charged with any wrongdoing. In this case, the Locker family's friend, Steve d' Annunzio quickly and strongly defended them. Is it possible that if there were financial problems that Lois and the. And the kids might in a weird way, sort of welcome a decision to stage a killing?

[Steve D'Annunzio]

No. Lois is the kind of person to say, okay, we have money problems if we have to go bankrupt, but you don't kill yourself. You don't do that. No. Completely impossible.

[Forensic Expert Cyril Wecht]

Hello?

[Narrator]

But Dan Gotlin will base Miner's defense on this argument. Locker got what he wanted, his own carefully orchestrated death. It was really suicide. And Minor was just a pawn in Locker's endgame.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

He was taken advantage of. He was taken advantage of by Mr. Locker.

[Motivational Speaker (Jeffrey Locker)]

The timing is right. Carpe diem. You must seize the moment.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

He was a motivational speaker.

[Motivational Speaker (Jeffrey Locker)]

What happens to the opportunity?

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

He motivated my client with enough to convince him to do this for him.

[Narrator]

You gotta be one heck of a motivational speaker.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

If you pick on the right person, you do it.

[Narrator]

Gotland will argue some people pick poison. But Locker picked a person, Kenneth Minor, to help commit suicide and solve all his problems.

[Kenneth Minor]

I knew it wasn't murder. I knew it wasn't murder. I just happened to be the building that he jumped off. It wasn't murder.

[Prosecutor Peter Casalero]

It's the defendant who brought us to this point.

[Narrator]

Kenneth Minor's trial for killing Geoffrey Locker is now underway.

[Prosecutor Peter Casalero]

He's the one who chose to kill somebody.

[Narrator]

And even though almost nobody in the courtroom doubts that Locker wanted to die,

[Prosecutor Peter Casalero]

he's the one who said yes instead of no.

[Narrator]

Prosecutor argues Minor is still a murderer.

[Prosecutor Peter Casalero]

The right thing to do would have been for Mr. Minor to tell Locher that I will not be part of your scheme. The right thing to do would have been walk away.

[Narrator]

Prosecutor Peter Casalero says Minor could have done what Melvin Fleming did.

[Prosecutor Peter Casalero]

Melvin heard the same speech. Melvin was offered the same money, but Melvin didn't kill anybody.

[Narrator]

Minor says this is a case of assisted suicide. But Casalero says there's one reason Minor killed Locker, and it's cash, not compassion.

[Prosecutor Peter Casalero]

Mr. Minor is going to ATMs within a half hour of that death.

[Narrator]

That doesn't look so good. That begins to look more like murder for hire than assisted suicide.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

In a sense, it was a murder for hire, but it was also, you know, assisted suicide.

[Narrator]

Defense attorney Dan Gotland will argue that his client, Kenneth Minor, spent hours with Locher. Enough time to establish a weird kind of relationship.

[Kenneth Minor]

It might sound a little morbid, but I was kind of privileged to be there for, like, you know, this is like, your last. You know, nobody else will ever see you again. Nobody. And you chose me.

[Narrator]

And so Minor says he held the knife against the steering wheel and just watched as Locker threw himself on it again and again and again. Is that possible?

[Detective Robert Stewart]

I don't believe so.

[Narrator]

Detective Robert Stewart, what do you think happened?

[Detective Robert Stewart]

He stabbed him. No question.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

I believe that what my client said sounds truthful and very possibly was truthful.

[Narrator]

And how many times did Locker lunge onto the knife?

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

I think there were six times to an area right near the heart.

[Narrator]

How come the horn doesn't go off?

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

Good question.

[Narrator]

It was one of the first questions Gotland himself asked. And the answer, he believes, helps prove his case. Gotland sent his Investigator Michael Barry to examine Locher's car. And the horn did not work.

[Kenneth Minor]

I believe Locker just connected at a pull the fuse.

[Narrator]

That's how well prepared Jeffrey Locker was

[Kenneth Minor]

to get someone to assist him in his suicide.

[Narrator]

All of which the defense says means the police got the right man but the wrong crime. This was not murder. You did offer to plead to a lesser charge, correct? From day one to manslaughter, right? It's a big difference. Manslaughter means a maximum 15 years in jail. Murder could mean life.

[Kenneth Minor]

I've always said I will pay for what I did. I will pay for the part that I played.

[Narrator]

Minor says he helped Locker die, but he did not kill him.

[Kenneth Minor]

I never saw him as a victim, but he's dead. You know, that was a self appointed choice.

[Narrator]

And that is what Dan Gotland wants the jury to know about. Geoffrey Locker. He killed himself.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

That's what he wanted to do.

[Narrator]

Except the medical examiner says it was homicide. All the wounds were in a tight 6 inch cluster in Locker's chest. Crime reporter Murray Weiss.

[Murray Weiss]

The medical examiner claimed that the wounds appeared to be coming from one side downward in that somebody sitting in the passenger seat would be reaching over and plunging a knife in slide number 09261.

[Narrator]

But Gotland has his own medical expert.

[Forensic Expert Cyril Wecht]

I see nothing here that is physically, forensically, scientifically inconsistent with Mr. Minor's presentation.

[Narrator]

Cyril Wecht is Dan Gotland's star witness. He is a controversial forensic scientist most famous for insisting there was a second gunman at the JFK assassination. He thinks Locker had Miner tie his hands so he wouldn't have second thoughts once he began killing himself.

[Forensic Expert Cyril Wecht]

We're going to show with this collapsible knife, of course, how this could have been accomplished.

[Narrator]

Wecht agreed to show us how easy it would have been for Locker to throw himself on a knife.

[Forensic Expert Cyril Wecht]

So you see, all of that is accomplished in a matter of a few seconds.

[Narrator]

But if Locker was not in control of his own death and Minor attacked him from the passenger seat, Wecht says Locker would have had different wounds on his body.

[Forensic Expert Cyril Wecht]

Joe, pretend that you are going to be stabbing me. Now you want to stab me? Okay,

[Narrator]

you're trying to get away.

[Forensic Expert Cyril Wecht]

Trying to get away. See a heck of a lot more than that nice 6 inch circumferential circle that we have on the chest.

[Narrator]

I still to this day have trouble imagining somebody actually doing that to themselves, hurling themselves onto a knife.

[Forensic Expert Cyril Wecht]

Well, and that's because you have never seen what people can do when they make up their minds to commit suicide.

[Narrator]

But what people I think can't get around in this case is the simple fact that stabbing yourself that many times would, to use a technical forensic term, hurt like heck.

[Forensic Expert Cyril Wecht]

Yes, it hurts. It hurts when you go through the skin. When it penetrates the heart and the lungs, there's not much pain.

[Prosecutor Peter Casalero]

I respectfully disagree. It has to be more painful than

[Narrator]

that, and it has to be messier too, says Casalero, who asked why the steering wheel and the dashboard were so clean.

[Prosecutor Peter Casalero]

How can you have these gaping wounds and not leave a single drop of blood if you're throwing yourself forward again and again and again? His shirt got saturated with blood. You mean not. Not one drop of it is going to come off and go forward?

[Narrator]

Wecht has an answer. He says Locker did not hit major blood vessels. The shirt got soaked with blood afterwards when his wounds continued to bleed.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

It's really a battle of experts who you choose to believe.

[Narrator]

And that's what the jurors are about to decide who to believe and what to believe about Kenneth Minor and his intentions on that night in that car.

[Prosecutor Peter Casalero]

Is the defendant an angel of mercy? No, he's the Grim Reaper.

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[Jen Hatmaker]

Here's what I've learned in midlife. Joy isn't the reward you earn after all the work is done. Joy is the work. That's what this new series on for the Love is all about. The sacred yes. It's choosing delight, rest and pleasure on purpose. Because saying yes to yourself, that's the thing that finally lets you fill your table with everybody else. Come find your sacred yes with me. Follow and listen to for the love. Wherever you get your podcasts,

[Carvana Representative]

You think

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

he's a contract killer or somebody who was duped and used by another human being.

[Narrator]

After a two week trial, a jury is about to pass judgment on Kenneth Minor.

[Prosecutor Peter Casalero]

Don't dignify this by calling it assisted suicide. Call it what it is.

[Narrator]

Murder, plain and simple.

[Prosecutor Peter Casalero]

Why did he do it? He did it to earn his fee.

[Narrator]

Prosecutor Peter Casolaro, in his closing argument to the jury, says, despite what defense attorney Dan Gotland argues, Kenneth Minor murdered Jeffrey Locker.

[Juror Kurt Markle]

Watching the prosecution, the defense, there's this veneer of truth about everything.

[Narrator]

For at least one juror, Kurt Markle, it's not so simple.

[Juror Kurt Markle]

Locker really comes across in a rather unsavory way.

[Narrator]

That made it easier for the jury to have some sympathy for Minor.

[Juror Kurt Markle]

He was picked out to do this thing. He didn't seek it out. That's what made it so difficult. The sympathy for the man was enormous. Why would you do this thing? What could possibly make you want to do this thing? It's not just about greed. These two men in this death spiral downward, downward, downward. It was unsettling to all of us.

[Narrator]

The verdict is in. In a bizarre Manhattan murder case. For such a difficult case, it's surprising that the jury was out just four hours. The verdict is guilty. The jurors might have sympathized with Minor, but they did not believe him because Markle says minor is no Dr. Kevorkian, and this was no assisted suicide.

[Juror Kurt Markle]

Locker is not physically impaired. His whole reasoning is financial.

[Narrator]

The jury decided Minor did a lot more than just hold the knife against the steering wheel. He stabbed Locker and that makes it murder. But Gotland says there's plenty of room for an appeal, because according to law, it shouldn't matter what Minor did because Locker wanted Minor to kill him. So in your view, if Locker is intent on committing suicide, Minor can do anything. Can shoot him, hang him, stab him, throw him under a bus.

[Defense Attorney Dan Gotland]

He can do all of those things. According to the statute, if he causes or aids the other person in committing

[Narrator]

suicide, the appeal will take a while. But now Kenneth Minor is about to learn his sentence.

[Steve D'Annunzio]

Mr. Minor, do you wish to address the court before you're sentenced?

[Kenneth Minor]

Yes.

[Narrator]

This is the first time he's spoken on the record in this courtroom.

[Kenneth Minor]

Only two people in the world know what happened that night, and one of them is not here no more. But he did not want this for me, for me to lose the rest of my life. In the end, Mr. Lockers, where he wanted to be.

[Narrator]

Crime reporter Murray Weiss.

[Murray Weiss]

I actually thought there was probably some truth to that. Jeffrey Lockett was where he wanted to be and Minor was sitting there holding the bag.

[Narrator]

But in the end, the judge sees it differently.

[Steve D'Annunzio]

He is sentenced to a term of 20 years to.

[Kenneth Minor]

I got 20 years to think about this every day.

[Narrator]

To this day, Kenneth Minor says he's still not sure why he did what he did for a man he didn't even know.

[Kenneth Minor]

Two strangers go bump in the night. They just have a connection. Why they're not just hit him over the head and take his money and leave. I don't know what sense of loyalty that I had to a total stranger. And it's like a recurrent tape that just keeps playing over and over my head.

[Narrator]

Locker's widow and his three children were never in the courtroom to hear anything Minor said. They didn't attend any of the trial and have never spoken publicly about the outcome. But their friend Steve d' Annunzio is wrestling with his own crime questions. How could Locker, who seemed to have every reason to live, decide it was time to die? Do you believe in your heart that this was murder or was it suicide?

[Steve D'Annunzio]

I don't know. I'm still, you know, the left side of my brain says it was suicide. The rates in my brain says it was murder. And I don't think 11 know and I want to believe in my friend, so I'm choosing to believe that it was murder. Will we ever know the truth? I don't think so.

[Narrator]

In 2013, Kenneth Minor's conviction was overturned. He later accepted a plea deal to serve 1212 years. In 2019, Minor was released from prison.