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Read the press release here.

Suspects Indicted for Murder of Chelsea Event Planner

By Sonja Sharp | April 12, 2012 3:40pm
Edwin Faulkner, 30, (left) and Juan Carlos Martinez-Herrera, 26, (right) appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on Mar. 18th, 2012.
Edwin Faulkner, 30, (left) and Juan Carlos Martinez-Herrera, 26, (right) appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on Mar. 18th, 2012.
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DNAinfo/Paul Lomax

MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT — The men accused of robbing and killing Chelsea event planner John Laubach after a gay tryst last month were indicted on charges of second degree murder in Manhattan court Thursday.

Edwin Faulkner, 30, and Juan Carlos Martinez-Herrera, 26, were picked up in Orlando, Fla. more than two weeks after Laubach, 57, was discovered strangled and bound in his West 22nd Street apartment.

According to court documents, Faulkner allegedly said he and Martinez-Herrera were having sex with the older man for money, and were planning to steal from him.

Security footage from a nearby Chase bank appears to show Martinez-Herrera attempting to withdraw money from Laubach's account just hours after the grisly slaying. The pair also allegedly pawned a piece of Laubach's jewelery before fleeing the state. 

Neighbors said the suspects were among dozens of companions who visited Laubach's Cheslea home, where he lived with his beloved cockatoo Bolo.

A friend told DNAinfo that Laubach liked to lavish gifts and attention on younger men, including Faulkner and Martinez-Herrera, but denied that he had a sexual relationship with them.

The duo are set to be arraigned in front of a grand jury on May 8.