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NYPD Struggling to Access Imam Murder Suspect's Cellphone to Find Motive

 New School porter Oscar Morel was arraigned for murder and other charges in the killing of an Ozone Park imam and his assistant.
New School porter Oscar Morel was arraigned for murder and other charges in the killing of an Ozone Park imam and his assistant.
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Pool photo/Dennis Clark

CIVIC CENTER — Investigators are having a hard time cracking into the cellphone of the man charged with the murder of a Queens imam and his assistant — adding that they still don't know his motive for the crime.

Oscar Morel, 36, was indicted by a grand jury Aug. 22 on first and second degree murder charges in the killing of imam Maulana Akonjee, 55, and his assistant Thara Uddin, 64, after he was caught on video at the scene and the murder weapon was found in his home, according to prosecutors.

But NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said Tuesday that the department has struggled to get information out of Morel's broken cellphone, hindering their ability to gain insight into his motivations.

"It's an Android knockoff, so kind of tough getting into that," Boyce said.

Several subpoenas have been issued for the phone's contents, according to Boyce, but nothing has come back yet.

"We went through his images and found nothing of value there, nothing that could connect," Boyce said. "And we have no tips as to why he would have done this.

"We'll go forward trying to figure that out as the records come in," Boyce continued. "We know... that he's the perpetrator."

READ MORE: Grand Jury Indicts Alleged Imam Killer on First Degree Murder Charges: DA

READ MORE: Witness Fails to Identify Suspect in Lineup for Imam Killing, DA Says

Akonjee and Uddin were shot point-blank in the back of the head in broad daylight on Saturday, Aug. 13, as they walked home from afternoon prayers at Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque in Ozone Park.

READ MORE: Imam and Another Man Shot Dead Near Mosque in Ozone Park

Morel, a porter at the New School in Greenwich Village since 2013, was charged two days later after police recovered a revolver they believed to be the murder weapon and clothes matching those worn by the shooter on surveillance video in Morel's East New York home, sources said.

READ MORE: Gunman Charges With Executing Imam and Assistant, Police Say

Police said Morel later got into a road rage incident with a cyclist while driving his SUV just after the shooting, and when they tracked his SUV to his home, he rammed an NYPD car several times trying to escape.

READ MORE: Cyclist Struck by Accused Imam Killer Says Crash Was 'Destiny'

Morel's lawyer has said that his client told him he "didn't do anything."

One witness failed to pick him out of a lineup, according to the Queens District Attorney's office.

The victims' families have urged the DA to bring hate crimes charges against Morel, but that can't happen unless investigators can determine a motive for the killings.

"Right now, we're still developing leads on that," Boyce said.