Manhattan

FBI Offers $25K Reward in Hunt for 1987 East Village Murder Suspect

The suspect lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, at the time of the killing, but since traveled down to Georgia before fleeing the country, feds say

Photo of Danny Liggett, wanted in a 1987 cold case murder.
FBI Handout

A Manhattan murder cold case stretching back more than 35 years is getting renewed attention from federal investigators and local police with a reward offering $25,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Danny Liggett is the focus of a fugitive manhunt, wanted for the 1987 killing of Kissoon Adams in a drug-buy gone wrong. The FBI New York/NYPD Joint Violent Crimes Task Force named the former Hoboken, New Jersey, man in their search for Adams' killer.

Authorities allege Liggett wanted to sell some jewelry in order to buy drugs when he met Adams at the latter's East 10th Street apartment in the East Village. An acquaintance, Helen Torres, took Liggett to the apartment where the supposed sale was supposed to go down, officials said.

Instead, Liggett allegedly attacked Torres and Adams, stabbing the man to death and threatening to kill Torres if she reported him to police, the task force's reward announcement explained.

Officials said Liggett lived with a girlfriend, who has since died, in Hoboken before he fled down to Georgia and eventually left the country. He was allegedly involved in a shooting in Georgia as well but was never arrested.

Aided by friends and family, according to authorities, Liggett was able to get a fake passport and travel to Southeast Asia. He's also been known to travel to the Philippines and Canada, they said.

Authorities included pictures of Liggett from the 80s, as well as digital renderings of what he may look like today.

Investigators release digital rendering of Danny Liggett, 73, wanted in connection to a 1987 East Village murder.

At the time of his disappearance, Liggett was 5'10" tall and weighed approximately 145 pounds. He had brown hair and brown eyes, and had a Snoopy tattoo on his left arm.

Officials said an arrest warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution has been issued for Liggett in the Southern District of New York. The reward for information leading to his arrest is $25,000.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or the NYPD at 800-577-TIPS.

Contact Us