Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison in Death of Jeffrey Locker

A man convicted of killing a motivational speaker from the Five Towns was sentenced to 12 years in prison Monday.

After his conviction was reversed in 2013, Kenneth Minor, 41, of Harlem, was sentenced to spend 12 years in prison and will get credit for five years he has already served, reported Newsday.

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Minor had been convicted in 2011 and said he had agreed to assist in the suicide of Jeffrey Locker, a motivational speaker from North Woodmere, for financial reasons. Minor claimed he held a knife in his hand and Locker, hands tied behind his back, thrust himself into it. Citing financial issues, Minor said he agreed to help Locker, who said he would hand over his ATM card if Minor helped kill him. Locker was in financial trouble himself at the time and reportedly had $18 million in life insurance.

Manhattan prosecutors said they would retry Minor’s case after a judge incorrectly told jurors that Minor committed murder instead of assisted suicide, according to earlier reports.

“In 2009, I had the chance to do the right thing and I didn’t…I failed Mr. Locker that night because of my own greed. I’ll never let that happen again,” Minor said in court, according to Newsday.

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