GWB Jumpers Were Homicide Suspects
A suburban New York woman and her boyfriend apparently killed her uncle over a financial dispute before they jumped to their deaths off the George Washington Bridge, police said Wednesday.
Detectives were investigating the killing of William Valenti on Monday when a dispatcher noticed media reports about the double suicide and they started connecting the cases, according to Suffern Police Chief Clarke Osborn.
Nicki Hunt, 40, and Gary Crockett, 41, had been living with Valenti and had withdrawn over $1,000 from his accounts, Osborn said at a news conference.
"They feared he might come after them through legal means," Osborn said.
A nephew found Valenti's body on Monday afternoon and called police.
Investigators found two notes. One, on the back door, was apparently an attempted diversion that said Valenti had been taken to a hospital.
"We believe it was written by Hunt and Crockett," Osborn said. "They probably did so so the body would not be found, so they could get away."
The second note was "perceived to be a possible suicide note," Osborn said.
The medical examiner determined that Valenti was asphyxiated, but it's not known how it was done or which person did it, the chief said.
Hunt was carrying the key to her uncle's Chevy Malibu when she died. Police theorize the couple parked it somewhere then walked onto the bridge. The car has not been found.
The investigation continues, but the chief said authorities may never know some of the details.
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