Nazi concentration camp survivor, 90, found strangled

[Whisper]

This makes me sick!!!!! NEW YORK (CNN)

-- A 90-year-old Holocaust survivor was found strangled Thursday in his Upper East Side apartment, a spokeswoman for the New York City medical examiner said Friday.


Felix Brinkmann dances at a 2008 party marking his 90th birthday.

Felix Brinkmann, a native of Latvia, escaped death for a year while he was in the Nazis' Mauthausen, Ebensee and Auschwitz concentration camps. Five times he had been slated for the gas chambers, but each time he used his fluency in German to talk his way out.

After the war ended, he was stunned to discover that his wife, who had also been shipped to Auschwitz, was alive and well in Poland.

The Brinkmanns immigrated to America, where Felix spent years in the bar and nightclub business, co-founding in 1971 Adam's Apple disco in Manhattan.

In recent years, he had served as the real estate manager of a mixed-use building in the Bronx, working "seven days a week, without fail," said his son Rick Brinkman, who spells his last name differently than his father.

On Thursday, the building's superintendent grew concerned when Brinkmann did not show up to work. He notified Brinkmann's son and received permission to enter the father's apartment, where he had lived alone since his wife died last year.

Brinkmann's body was found lying face down in his bedroom, his hands bound, his body showing blunt-force trauma wounds, police said. Brinkmann's blue 2009 Honda Civic may have been stolen and a safe in his apartment tampered with, police said.

A police spokesman said authorities were looking for "a man and a woman" in connection with the homicide.

Rick Brinkman speculated that the killing was random in nature. "Anybody who knew him really liked him," the son said. "He was not the kind of guy who had enemies

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/31/...vor/index.html

[Death Bed]

Wow, they are really bad ass, tying up a 90 year old man. If only comic books were real, fictitious Lativa ruler Victor Von Doom would have the killers put to death.

[StashRider]

I can't even think of anything snarky to say.

What a fucking bummer.

[Whisper]

This story makes me sick.I am a geriatrics nurse and none of my residents are under 85 and my oldest is 107.They are so frail and it would take nothing to restrain them,a 5 yr old could.But this was a adult that did that and its fucking disgusting beyond comprehension.I hope it made you feel like a big man/woman to rob and kill a incredible man that lived through so much in his life and proved the saying "theres someone out there for everyone" he found his someone AGAIN How incredible is that?Survived 5 xs he was scheduled for gas chambers still working at 90!!And yet some fucking little piss ant of a goof decided he had the right to cut his life short.Well you will be caught,your type always is.I know there are unsolved childrens cases,unsolved adult cases but cant think of one unsolved geriatric case!!Thats not saying they dont try damn hard to get all criminals its just mosdt crimes against senoirs are carried out are places with security videos,ATM,Im sure if that apt had a doorman then hes got money and video will be of everyone entering and leaving so you will be caught and when you are,,meet your new roomie,, Im sure you two will have a great time!!!

[malq]

Although it is a bad situation and I hated to see him go out like that, kudos to him for surviving that bullshit in the early 40's. Its hard to believe some people do not believe the holocaust existed. it will be a sad day when the last survivor of that dies.
I hope they catch whoever did this.

[Pete Bondurant]

Wow, they are really bad ass, tying up a 90 year old man. If only comic books were real, fictitious Lativa ruler Victor Von Doom would have the killers put to death.

With a name like Von Doom...he probably would have been a KZ Kommandant.

[Death Bed]

With a name like Von Doom...he probably would have been a KZ Kommandant.

That would be his friend Johann Shmidt.

[Whisper]

UPDATEArrest made in death of Nazi concentration camp survivorNEW YORK (CNN)

-- A Bronx woman has been charged with murder and robbery in the death of an 89-year-old Nazi concentration camp survivor, and police said a man is still being sought in connection with the death.


Felix Brinkmann dances at a 2008 birthday party. "He was not the kind of guy who had enemies," his son says.

Angela Murray, 30, was arrested Saturday, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office, and is accused of strangling Guido Felix Brinkmann on Thursday in his Upper East Side apartment.

Murray was arraigned Sunday and charged with one count of murder in the second degree and three counts of robbery.

Brinkmann, a native of Latvia, was a Holocaust survivor who escaped death for a year while he was in the Mauthausen, Ebensee and Auschwitz camps. He had been slated for the gas chambers five times, but each time, he used his fluency in German to talk his way out, said his son, Rick Brinkman, who spells his last name differently.

After the war, he was stunned to discover his wife, who had also been shipped to Auschwitz, alive and well in Poland.

The Brinkmanns immigrated to America, where Brinkmann spent years in the bar and nightclub business, co-founding the Adam's Apple disco in Manhattan in 1971.

In recent years, he had been the real estate manager of a mixed-use building in the Bronx, working "seven days a week, without fail," Rick Brinkman said.
Nazi concentration camp survivor found strangled
On Thursday, the building's superintendent grew concerned when Brinkmann did not show up for work. He notified Brinkmann's son and received permission to enter the father's apartment, where he had lived alone since his wife died last year.

Brinkmann was found face-down in his bedroom, his hands bound behind his back and his body showing blunt-force trauma wounds, police said. Brinkmann's blue 2009 Honda Civic had been stolen, along with one of two safes in his apartment, police said. The vehicle was later recovered in the Bronx.

Rick Brinkman speculated that the killing was random. "Anybody who knew him really liked him," the son said. "He was not the kind of guy who had enemies."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/03/...est/index.html

[Aslan]

RIP Felix, now you and your wife will never be separated again.
I agree whisper, the fact that he did so much and obviously was a good man makes this even more tragic.

Also, if you have a safe in your house, DON'T TELL ANYONE. All it takes is the wrong person finding out.

[Chaindrive]

I'm glad they found who did this.

[Whisper]

all out of thanks but ty e1

[Unamused Cat]

Angela Murray

The woman accused of killing a 90-year-old Auschwitz survivor didn't flinch - or snitch - when charged with strangling the man in a bloody robbery, police sources said.

Angela Murray, 30, kept calm and quiet when police grilled her about her alleged role in the murder of Guido Felix Brinkmann in his E. 65th St. apartment last Wednesday.

The attractive brunette refused to name her male accomplice in the killing, sources said.

"She's pretty ... pretty dangerous," a police source said.

Murray was caught on video using one of Brinkmann's credit cards.

Police are trying to get clearer photos of the man with her, sources said.

source

[Whisper]

Arrest made in death of Nazi concentration camp survivor

Angela Murray, 30, was arrested Saturday, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office, and is accused of strangling Guido Felix Brinkmann on Thursday in his Upper East Side apartment.

Even just the method she used is so personal,I personally feel slitting through is the most gruesome I can think of.According to John Douglas FBI profiler and just excellent FBI officer

manual strangulation is a personal murder that can take between 3-7 minutes to kill

that person as they are looking at you!!Just pure fucking evil.!!As I said video>Murray was caught on video using one of Brinkmann's credit cards.http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/03/...est/index.html

[Whisper]

New arrests made in killing of Auschwitz survivorupdated 3:04 p.m. EDT, Fri August 7, 2009NEW YORK (CNN) --

Two additional suspects in the strangulation of an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor were arrested Friday, the Manhattan district attorney's office said.


. "He was not the kind of guy who had enemies," his son says.

Aljulah Cutts, 27, and his brother Hasib, 30, were taken into custody in Manhattan in connection with the death last week of Guido Felix Brinkmann, the district attorney's office said.

A spokeswoman declined to specify what, if any, connection the men are suspected to have had to the victim or to a woman previously arrested in the case.

Police also would not say what charges the two might face.

The woman, Angela Murray, 30, of the Bronx, was arraigned Sunday on one count of murder in the second degree and three counts of robbery in the case.

Brinkmann was found dead in the bedroom of his apartment July 30, his hands tied behind his back, police said. A safe was missing from the apartment, and his car had been stolen.

Brinkmann, a native of Latvia, was held in the Mauthausen, Ebensee and Auschwitz camps during World War II.
After the war, he and his wife, who also survived Auschwitz, came to America.

In 1971, Brinkmann co-founded Adam's Apple disco in Manhattan, and later was the real estate manager of a mixed-use building in the Bronx, according to his son, Rick Brinkman, who uses a different spelling for his last name.

Brinkmann's wife died last year

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/07/...sts/index.html

[TheImperialCerealKiller]

Totally irrelevant, but I wonder why the son dropped the 'n' from his last name?
And why was this man still working at the age of 90?! That amazes me. I hope it was because he actually wanted to work, and not because he had to.

[Whisper]

He wanted to work and my great grand dad dropped an "N" off of our german name also and I asked when I was a kid and had somethjing to do with being german with 1 "N" and something other kind of german with"NN".