Man stabs wife and lover to death

NEW YORK - The victims worked as baggage handlers at New York's John F Kennedy International Airport.

On Wednesday, Steve Whittingham, 48, a self-employed car mechanic and father of six, got a call saying that his wife, Ms Jonelle Barker, and co-worker Jerome Barrett were making out in a car. He drove there and caught them in the act, MailOnline reported.

He stabbed his 35-year-old love rival and his 36-year-old wife in the chest multiple times.

Before succumbing to his wounds, Mr Barrett scrambled out of his car without clothes on, stumbled to the front door of a building and tried to call for help but it was too late, reported the New York Daily News.

He was found a short time later lying in a pool of blood. His clothes and wallet were discovered nearby.

Whittingham surrendered to police on Wednesday and was charged with first-degree and second-degree murder.

A day later, Mr Barrett's car was found parked in Brooklyn. When police opened the trunk of the vehicle, they discovered Ms Barker's naked body stuffed inside.

When questioned by police, Whittingham claimed that Mr Barrett had come at him with a knife first, and that he had wrestled the weapon out of his hands.

Police say after stabbing the duo, Whittingham loaded her body into the trunk of her lover's car.

He told investigators that when he took off, his wife was still alive, reported CBS New York.

"He lost it, as anybody would under the circumstances," Whittingham's lawyer, Mr Jay Cohen, said.

This article was first published on December 21, 2014.
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