Chelsea Murder Suspects Arraigned

The two young men suspected of murdering gay Manhattan resident John Laubach were arraigned in a New York City court yesterday after being apprehended in Florida.

Edwin Faulkner, 30, and Juan Carlos Martinez-Herrera, 30, appeared before a Manhattan Criminal Court judge Sunday to face a single count each of second-degree murder in the death of John Laubach, 57 on March 2. On Feb. 20, just days before the murder, Faulkner, an ex-con who served three years in prison for grand larceny, allegedly said that he and Martinez-Herrera, who has a prior robbery arrest, were having sex with Laubach for money and "that they were going back to rob him of more valuables when the time was right." According to court papers, Faulkner admitted to choking Laubach, who was often spotted with his beloved cockatoo Bolo, at his West 22nd Street apartment. Realizing that he was dead, they allegedly bound the vicitm's hands and feet using electrical cord and tape around 9 a.m. They also wrapped duct tape "tightly around his head and mouth," according to the court documents.

Via Towleroad. [PHOTO CREDIT DNAinfo/Paul Loma]