NEW YORK (PIX11) — A joint team of FBI and NYPD investigators on Friday asked for the public’s help tracking down an alleged fugitive sought in a 35-year-old Manhattan murder case, offering a reward of up to $25,000.
Danny Liggett, now 73, has allegedly been on the run since the 1987 slaying of Kissoon Adams in an East Village apartment, the FBI New York/NYPD Joint Violent Crimes Task Force said in a news release.
On May 7, 1987, Liggett asked a friend to help him find a buyer for some jewelry he was looking to unload so he could buy drugs, authorities allege. An acquaintance, Helen Torres, then took Liggett to an apartment on East 10th Street near Avenue B, where they met with Adams, according to the authorities.
But during the meeting, Liggett allegedly attacked Torres and Adams, who was a wheelchair user, officials said. Liggett allegedly stabbed Adams to death, then threatened to kill Torres if she went to the police, officials said.
Liggett — who lived at the time in Hoboken, NJ with a now-deceased girlfriend — allegedly fled the city immediately after the murder, heading first to Gainesville, GA. He was allegedly involved in a shooting there, then fled again, this time to Southeast Asia using a fake passport, authorities said. He’s been known to travel to the Philippines and Canada, and also has family and friends in Springfield, IL and Des Moines, IA.
A federal arrest warrant alleging unlawful flight to avoid prosecution has been issued for Liggett through the Southern District of New York.
At the time he fled, Liggett was 5-foot-10 and about 145 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He had a Snoopy-related tattoo on his left arm, though it’s unclear whether it’s an illustration of the character or just the name “Snoopy” spelled out. Investigators released images of Liggett around the time of the incident, as well as renderings showing what he might look like now.
The FBI is offering up to $25,000 for information leading to Liggett’s arrest.
Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or the NYPD at 800-577-TIPS.
