The robber who killed a 71-year-old man in an Upper East Side jewelry heist stole so many valuables that investigators believe he threw away a Fabergé-style egg during his escape. According to law enforcement sources, the gunman who shot Henry Menahem in the R.S. Durant shop on Madison Avenue on Wednesday grabbed more than 700 items worth nearly $1 million, then dumped the decorative egg, valued at between $100 to $1,000, in a bag next to a trash can at the northwest corner of Lexington Avenue and 73rd Street.
After releasing a sketch of the masked man yesterday, police have also unveiled surveillance footage purportedly showing the suspect walking down Lexington Avenue:
Detectives are visiting pawnshops to see if the perp has tried to resell any of the valuables, which include a blue sapphire necklace and emerald earrings. Insiders say he'll have trouble unloading the stolen goods. "He's not going to be able to get rid of that jewelry," a source told the Daily News. "The guys who deal in this high-end stuff are not going to go near anything connected to a homicide."
The Times looks at the impact the robbery has had on the Upper East Side, describing the Madison Avenue hold-up and killing as the "rarest of New York City crimes." Meanwhile, friends and family of Menahem are mourning the death of a man remembered as a cancer survivor, a theater lover, and a father of three. On the day of the robbery, the Long Branch, New Jersey resident reportedly told a waiter at a diner next door to the jewelry store: "[L]ife is beautiful. Cheer up. The world is a good place."
