Accused murderer argues assisted suicide

NEW YORK (AP):

A motivational speaker's death looked like a sinister tale of a suburbanite killed in a rough New York City neighbourhood.

But the man charged with Jeffrey Locker's death says Locker had wanted someone to kill him.

Kenneth Minor is arguing at his trial that Locker asked him to make his suicide look like a street crime so his survivors could collect millions in life insurance.

Minor's trial - beginning this week - is raising tricky legal questions about the line between assisted suicide and murder.

Locker was found stabbed to death in his car in Harlem in July 2009, his hands tied behind his back, hours after telling his wife he'd gotten a flat tire.

He was near-bankrupt after investing in a $300-million Ponzi scheme.