The New York City Anti-Violence Project is following the investigations of three homicides that took place in recent weeks in New York City.
It is not clear whether the deaths are the result of anti-gay violence or intimate partner violence, according to an AVP alerts, but authorities are warning people about the dangers of online dating services.
In the most recent death, 54-year-old Joseph Benzinger was found dead in a room at the Crown Motor Inn on Queens Boulevard. He apparently had been strangled with a shirt.
AVP was working with New York City Council Member Daniel Dromm, who represents the area, to learn more. Dromm, other elected officials and representatives from the Queens District Attorney’s Office, along with the AVP, were planning a press conference today at the site of Benzinger’s death.
There were two other violent deaths of gay men in New York City in late January.
Charles Romo, 48, was found dead on Jan. 28 in his Hamilton Heights apartment in Manhattan. The AVP said police suspected an intimate partner in the killing and robbery.
David Rangel, a 53-year-old middle school teacher, was found dead in his Queens apartment on Jan. 26. Police, according to the AVP, suspect that Rangel, who was choked to death, met his killer online.
