True crime cases in New York span decades of criminal history, from unsolved disappearances in rural communities to high-profile investigations in the state's largest cities. New York law enforcement agencies, from local police departments to the state bureau of investigation, have tackled cases ranging from cold-case homicides and serial offenders to fraud schemes and domestic violence tragedies. CaseSleuth tracks each New York case with comprehensive timelines, profiles of victims and persons of interest, evidence summaries, and links to media coverage and court documents. Browse the cases below to explore the full scope of criminal investigations in New York.
7 cases found
On December 4, 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown in what prosecutors allege was a premeditated attack by Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate. Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a nationwide manhunt, and charged with second-degree murder in New York state court and stalking charges in federal court. As of April 2026, Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges; his state trial is scheduled to begin September 8, 2026, and his federal trial is set for October 2026, with a federal judge having ruled that prosecutors cannot seek the death penalty.
Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange, was convicted in November 2023 on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy after billions in customer funds were secretly funneled to his hedge fund Alameda Research. He was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison in March 2024, capping one of the largest financial fraud cases in American history.
The Gilgo Beach serial killings involved the murders of at least eight women whose remains were discovered along Ocean Parkway on Long Island, New York, beginning in December 2010. Rex Heuermann, a 59-year-old Manhattan architect, was arrested on July 13, 2023, after DNA from discarded pizza crust linked him to evidence found with the victims. On April 8, 2026, Heuermann pleaded guilty to seven murders and admitted to an eighth, with sentencing scheduled for June 17, 2026.
Jeffrey Edward Epstein (1953-2019) was an American financier and convicted sex offender who operated a sex trafficking network targeting underage girls. After a controversial 2008 plea deal in Florida that drew widespread criticism, he was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges by the Southern District of New York in July 2019. He died in custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on August 10, 2019, with his death ruled a suicide by hanging. His longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted on five federal sex trafficking charges in December 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual assault by over 80 women, sparking the #MeToo movement. He was convicted of rape in New York in 2020 and again in Los Angeles in 2022, though the New York conviction was overturned on appeal in 2024.
Ghislaine Maxwell, British socialite and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, was convicted in December 2021 of sex trafficking and conspiracy for recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein. She was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in June 2022.
On April 19, 1989, five Black and Latino teenagers — Korey Wise (16), Yusef Salaam (15), Antron McCray (15), Raymond Santana (14), and Kevin Richardson (14) — were arrested for the assault and rape of jogger Trisha Meili in Central Park. Police coerced false confessions from the boys during prolonged interrogations. All five were convicted in 1990 despite DNA evidence excluding them. In 2002, convicted serial rapist Matias Reyes confessed to being the sole attacker, and DNA confirmed his guilt. All five convictions were vacated on December 19, 2002. The men received a $41 million settlement from New York City in 2014. Now known as the Exonerated Five, their case became a landmark example of wrongful conviction driven by coerced confessions and racial injustice.