NY NY - Abe Lebewohl, 64, shot in robbery 4 March 1996 -- Linked to 2 other unsolved homicides (NY)

[drmstwizard]

CBS New NY, 4 March 2016 --

Twenty years ago Friday, the beloved owner of a famed New York eatery was brutally murdered. Abe Lebewohl’s killer has yet to be caught.

It’s a cold case that haunts both the family and the investigators who are still on the case.

It was a cold Monday in 1996 on the Lower East Side when news broke that the owner of Second Avenue Deli had been shot.

It was a killing that stunned New York. Lebewohl was known as the mayor of Second Avenue, and loved by all. He fed both high society and the homeless at his famous deli.

“Feels like it was yesterday,” Jack Lebewohl, the victim’s brother, told CBS2’s Maurice DuBois. “I just felt something in the pit of my stomach that it was something wrong… something serious happened.”

Lebewohl was making his daily run to the bank in the store’s van when he was robbed of more than $10,000 and brutally shot to death.

“I called the deli and the woman who answered the phone was crying,” Sharon Lebewohl, the owner’s daughter, said. “Seeing the deli closed and seeing people around there crying, it hit me that something terrible happened.”

The gun that killed Lebewohl was recovered three days later at the 96th Street transverse in Central Park. It was linked to a double homicide in Elmsford several months earlier.

The NYPD also released a sketch of one suspect. Beyond that, there are few new clues. There is, however, a major incentive for anyone with information.

“The family is offering an extremely generous reward of $150,000,” detective James Piccione said.

“We wanted to make a statement and tell people there’s a lot of money here for you, give us the information that’s needed to arrest and convict the people that committed this terrible crime,” Jack Lebewohl said.

Detective Geneva Eleutice said no detail will be overlooked.

“The smallest thing, whether people in the neighborhood think its relevant or not, may lead to the $150,000 reward,” Eleutice said.

The family and the investigators said they will never give up looking for Lebewohl’s killer. They are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

The original/contemporaneous NYT article about the murder from 5 March, 1996, below:

Owner of Second Avenue Deli Is Shot and Killed in Robbery

The gun used in the robbery & murder has been linked to a 1995 double murder and robbery in Elmsford, NY (Westchester County), in which Jon Weaver (32) and Kay Praponpoj (50), were shot and killed within 10 minutes of a shift-change at Saw Mill River Motel. (Source)

Police have checked guest logs to see if people at the motel had criminal records and have looked closely at some former employees of both the motel and the restaurant.

Police eliminated another possible clue, a red Toyota with a spare tire seen at the motel around the time of the robbery, Foster said.

(source)

It seems, to me, as though both of the attacks were the result of some planning, because they occurred during money-changing events that happened on a set schedule: Lebewohl walked the day's cash/checks/receipts to the same bank at the same time every day, and Praponpoj was doing a daily count of the register as she came onto her shift. Additionally, both Lebewohl and Weaver had been the victims of armed robbery within 12 months of their deaths, both connected to the same money-handling jobs they were killed performing.

The NYPD has not linked any other homicides to the gun, which was found dissembled in Central Park three days after Lebewohl's murder -- perhaps because of the publicity around the case, since he was something of an icon in New York City. Weaver- and Praponpoj, in contrast, did not receive much, if any, press before their murders were linked to that of Lebewohl.

The disposal of the gun on the 96th street traverse of Central Park suggests that the shooter was probably en route back to Westchester County from the East Village after killing Lebewohl via the 96th Street IRT/Lexington Avenue Line. At the time of both attacks, the Lexington Avenue Line was the most overcrowded commute route in the city; however, the choice of the killer not to disembark at Grand Central on the same line (and more convenient to both locations) might be some clue to their "central location"? It just seems to me like they wouldn't bypass Grand Central to get from the city to the suburbs unless they had a very set routine of their own. Thoughts?

In 1995, the MTA began its Manhattan East Side Alternatives (MESA) study, both a MIS and a DEIS, seeking ways to alleviate overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue Line and improve mobility on Manhattan's East Side. The study analyzed several alternatives, such as improvements to the Lexington Avenue Line to increase capacity, enhanced bus service with dedicated lanes, and light rail or ferry service on the East Side. Second Avenue was chosen over First Avenue for logistical reasons. (Source)

 

[runfar262]

Killer Still Unknown In 1996 Murder Of Beloved Deli Owner
Seen At 11: Killer Still Unknown In 1996 Murder Of Beloved Deli Owner

I ate there many a time. The location on Second Avenue was a good neighborhood. I hope Mr. Lebewohl and his family and friends get the justice they deserve.

 

[dotr]

2nd Ave Deli

New York investigators offering $150K reward to solve cold case murder of 2nd Ave. Deli founder
"Two retired New York Police Department officers and a cold case detective have teamed up in an attempt to solve a decades-long cold case that shook the city to its core.

Abe Lebewohl, a Holocaust survivor and founder of the famed 2nd Avenue Deli, was on his way to work early on the morning of March 4, 1996. He was reportedly forced into his van, shot in the head and stomach, and died. The weapon used to kill him was recovered and linked to more murders, but the killer was never found.

There is no statute of limitations on murder cases in New York, so the case is still open. Now, the NYPD homicide detective who caught the case at the time, James Piccione, has rejoined forces with his former partner who had retired from the NYPD and joined the Manhattan District Attorney's office, Jeff Salta. Together, they've partnered with cold case Detective Jason Palamara in an attempt to solve the case for good, the New York Daily News reported."

 

[dotr]

New York investigators offering $150K reward to solve cold case murder of 2nd Ave. Deli founder

Sketch of suspect.


"The 64-year-old was conducting his usual morning routine on that March
morning, driving his van to the NatWest bank just a few blocks away from his popular deli on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street, where he planned to deposit $10,000. When he arrived at the bank, a person or persons shoved him back inside the van, and shot him twice. They then drove one block over to 1st Avenue, where Lebewohl was able to pull the door of the van open, and fell out

A passerby spotted him and flagged down a police officer.

"That police officer goes to Abe, and Abe says something like, 'They got me,'" Piccione said."

"A sketch from a witness who saw the driver was released. The day after the murder, authorities found Lebewohl's money bag on E. 25th street, and a day after that, discovered his wallet on E. 30th. The gun used to kill Lebewohl was recovered, disassembled, and found to have also been used to murder two hotel clerks in Westchester County, and in a Bronx slaying in 1994. However, 23 years later, there have never been any arrests in connection to Lebewohl's murder."

"There is a $150,000 reward for any information leading to the conviction of his killer.

Those with information are encouraged to lodge confidential tips with Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS."

 

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rbbm.
The coldest of cases: Famed deli man killed on a winter morning, with no cameras to capture the crime, but family, investigators ever hopeful
"The gun, a .25-caliber Raven, was recovered the following day, disassembled, near the Central Park Transverse at 96th St. and Fifth Ave..
It turned out that the weapon had also been used in September 1995 when two motel clerks were killed in Elmsford, Westchester County, and a year before that when a man was shot and wounded in the Bronx.

Those cases were never solved."

 

[CastlesBurning]

The coldest of cases: Famed deli man killed on a winter morning, with no cameras to capture the crime, but family, investigators ever hopeful

New York investigators offering $150K reward to solve cold case murder of 2nd Ave. Deli founder

Remembering Abe Lebewohl, Founder of the Famed 2nd Avenue Deli

 

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Mar 5, 2016

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The coldest of cases: Famed deli man killed on a winter morning, with no cameras to capture the crime, but family, investigators ever hopeful

Today, the abduction would have been captured on surveillance video, the killer likely busted, or at least identified, within a week. But the murder of famed deli man Abe Lebewohl happened in 1996, 23 years ago today to be exact. Security cameras, even at banks, were far from prevalent.

www.nydailynews.com

2nd Ave Deli founder Abe Lebewohl, pictured here sweeping the Yiddish theater celebrity plaques outside his famed deli, was murdered 23 years ago. (Harry Hamburg / New York Daily News)

Abe Lebewohl was shot dead during a holdup in his hijacked van (above). (Misha Erwitt / New York Daily News)

 

[CastlesBurning]

Deli Owner’s Grieving Family Wants His Cold Case Murder Solved

On March 4, 1996, Abe Lebewohl was going to a bank when he was robbed and killed. Nearly 30 years later, his family is still seeking answers.​

 

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May 13, 2023
Lengthy (and interesting) article..rbbm

Deli Owner’s Grieving Family Wants His Cold Case Murder Solved

On March 4, 1996, Abe Lebewohl was going to a bank when he was robbed and killed. Nearly 30 years later, his family is still seeking answers.

www.insideedition.com

''Was a Woman Involved in Abe Lebewohl's Killing? One Detective Thinks He May Know Who Was Part of His Murder​

While the Lebewohl clan and the city mourned one of its most beloved sons, the NYPD pounded the pavement to try and crack this case. Thus far, the case remains open.

"Witnesses who describe individuals in the vicinity of the bank prior to the shooting and individuals were either walking or running away from the van," Piccione says.

After Abe was shot, his van was spotted on the corner of First Avenue and West Fourth Street, where a “female was seen getting out of the van and running into a building off the corner of First Avenue. And residents of that building told me that somebody was ringing all the bells, trying to get into the building," Piccione says.

“Then witnesses also said they saw a woman on the roof of the building trying to go to different buildings to get out, to escape. We also know, again, there was somebody seen behind the wheel of the van and then people were seen running away from the van. There was one male or two males seen running away from the van and crossing First Avenue,” he says.

Investigators found three gun shell casings inside Abe’s van that belonged to a .25-caliber Raven pistol. The next day, a gun was recovered by a city bus driver traveling uptown outside Central Park on 95th Street and Fifth Avenue.


“This bus driver was looking out the window and saw what he believed was a gun. And he notified the police, and the police came and they recovered the weapon,” Piccione says. The bullets the weapon used matched the gun used in Abe’s murder, according to the NYPD.

The gun was connected to several other violent crimes that were carried out in the city and in surrounding areas, Piccione says. The gun was used on June 5, 1994, in the robbery of a drug dealer in the Bronx, Piccione says. In that incident, one of the robbers accidentally shot his accomplice with the gun, according to Piccione. In another incident in 1994, a marijuana dealer was robbed and shot with the gun, according to Piccione. On Sept. 5, 1995, two employees of the Sawmill River Parkway Motel in Elmsford were shot with the gun, one fatally, during a robbery, Piccione says.

Abe's wallet was found the day after he was killed. It was recovered from a dump truck on East 30th Street. The money bag he was carrying was recovered on East 25th Street. Police have “an idea who was involved in the Lebewohl homicide, but unfortunately there's not enough now for an arrest, especially after 27 years," Piccione says.

For years, sketches of men believed to have possibly been behind the killing have circulated to the public.

“There was a male, white or Hispanic that was seen sitting in the front seat behind the wheel of Abe's van. There was also witnesses who see a female run out of the van and that there are sources that see somebody also running across First Avenue. So we think that all those three people were involved in Abe's murder,” Piccione says.

Piccione and Abe's family believe a woman who may have known Abe and possibly someone who worked with him could have been involved in the killing. Police have not publicly named any suspect or person of interest in the case.

“I think that they set Mr. Lebewohl up for a robbery. And I do think it's somebody that knew him. It wasn't just a random robbery,” Piccione says.

Even despite advances in DNA technology, there were too many fingerprints inside Abe’s van to lift a clear print. The gun used also didn’t have any fingerprints on it.''