|
|
| |
| |
Criminal Records - Most Wanted |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Profile |
|
| |
Name: Unknown Yaaqov "Kobi" Lankry Killer
|
|
| |
Race: Black |
|
| |
Age Range: 19 - 26 |
|
| |
Height: 6'0" |
|
| |
Weight: Thin Build |
|
| |
Hair (Color, Description, Facial Hair): Black
Two witnesses say the gunman had a gray hoodie pulled over his head so they couldn't see much of his face and hair. |
|
| |
Eyes (Color and Correction): Brown |
|
| |
Other Physical Characteristics: The suspect appeared young, black and thin to the witnesses. |
|
| |
Wanted for :
Murder, Plantation, FL;
Feb 17, 2007
Robbery, Plantation, FL;
Feb 17, 2007
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Location(s) |
|
| |
Last Seen : Plantation, FL
Suspect was last seen outside a Plantation, Florida apartment complex. |
|
| |
Possible Location : South Florida, FL |
|
| |
Last Known : Unkown |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Traits |
|
| |
Witnesses described the suspect wearing dark baggy pants and a gray hoodie pulled over his head. |
|
| |
The suspect was reported fleeing very fast from the scene. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Case Story |
|
| |
Renowned Swap Shop Attracts All Kinds |
|
| |
The infamous Swap Shop is a one-of-a-kind flea market, with its flashy signs, amusement park-style rides and an old-fashioned drive-in theater; in Fort Lauderdale, you can't miss the place, but it's mostly known for the great deals. You name, you can buy it there.
One of the most successful businesses is the Swap Shop building which housed the store where "Dr. Sound," David Lankri, practiced his craft. He started the car stereo shop years ago and convinced his brother, Yaagov "Kobi" Lankry, to leave Israel and move to Florida as his business partner. In 2001, Kobi left the rest of his family and joined his brother. "Dr. Sound" grew and was housed in one of the largest buildings on the Swap Shop campus.
While some businesses could barely be described as kiosks, "Dr. Sound" was housed in a huge facility where car stereos were installed, tires replaced and windows tinted. If you wanted to jazz up your car, that was the place to go, but only if you had the cash.
The Swap Shop is also known for its all cash business and the gritty characters who hung out there, say local residents. It's a place where the deals are big money, and the level of security is low. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
A New Life |
|
| |
"Kobi liked what he did," said his partner, John Brant. "It was lucrative and he was able to save money for his family back in Israel." John went on to say that Kobi talked about one day owning his own club or restaurant.
Despite their twenty year age difference, John and Kobi had a lot in common and enjoyed their new life. "His life had just begun," John said. "Kobi had a nice home, a good job, a relationship he was finally comfortable in. At the age of 28, it was a great time in his life."
But all of that came to a screeching halt.
It was February 17, 2007, a busy Saturday at the Swap Shop. Kobi and his brother worked non-stop all day at "Dr. Sound." Around 6 p.m., Kobi left to go home and prepare for a vacation to New Orleans. Everything seemed normal. He walked to his car nearby with his black backpack filled with cash from two days of business, which police say amounted to $8,000 on his person.
Kobi drove the 15 minutes back to his home in Plantation, Fla., a western suburb of Fort Lauderdale. After he got out of his car, two young witnesses say they saw a struggle, heard a gunshot and saw a young, athletic, black male wearing a gray hoodie running from the scene. Kobi was steps from the door to his home, and authorities say he died instantly.
"He didn't see it coming," said Detective Cindy Hager of the Plantation Police Department. "I believe he was followed home. Someone knew he had a large amount of cash on him." Detective Hager said the witnesses weren't close enough to help develop a composite sketch of the suspect. There's little to work with. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Robbery Appears To Be Motive |
|
| |
Detective Hager is exploring every angle to crack the case, including information from neighbors in the area who witnessed a dark blue, four-door Corolla with tinted windows driving around hours earlier. One resident said he saw a thin black male with a gray hoodie in the passenger seat of a car fitting that description. No one was able to get a license plate number or a more detailed description.
Another angle is comparing this case to others with similar descriptions and MO's.
"Right now, we have absolutely nothing and we are turning over every stone," Hager says.
She said that Kobi appeared well liked at the Swap Shop and in his neighborhood. His homosexuality doesn't appear to have anything to do with the murder, according to Det. Hager. "It's a robbery with a big score of $8,000," she said, "and someone knows something."
Plain and simple, she believes, Kobi was followed home to be robbed, and he was killed so that Kobi couldn't identify his attacker later.
John, Kobi's partner, is doing everything he can to find the person responsible for Kobi's murder. He distributed 1,400 flyers, raised money toward the $24,000 reward and helped friends and family accept Kobi's life as it was. John is trying to put his energies towards helping detectives solve the case as much as possible.
He said, "It's unfinished business on a life finished too early." |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
|
|