Man trying to sell dirt bike on Facebook Marketplace shot, killed by supposed buyer in Louisiana: sheriff

A New Orleans man who was trying to sell a dirt bike on Facebook Marketplace was murdered after showing up to a meeting with a potential buyer, authorities said Monday.

Joseph Vindel’s dead body was found with gunshot wounds early Monday morning inside his own car, which was abandoned in the city’s Garden District, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. A suspect identified as 20-year-old Jalen Harvey admitted he shot and killed the victim in nearby Jefferson Parish before taking the car to New Orleans, authorities said.

Detectives believe the accused killer murdered Vindel during the course of their transaction Sunday, but an exact motive remains under investigation.

Vindel, 29, left his house around 10 a.m. to sell the bike and “never returned from that transaction,” Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said at a news conference. The man’s family reported him missing later that day, triggering a multi-agency search for his whereabouts.

During the investigations, detectives uncovered several Facebook messages showing Vindel and the suspect discussing the bike sale. The messages led authorities to a Jefferson Parish apartment complex where Vindel’s dirt bike was found in one of the patios, Lopinto told reporters.

Harvey confessed to the murder and was taken into custody without incident, according to the sheriff.

“A very sad situation,” Lopinto said, adding that Vindel was likely killed late Sunday morning or early in the afternoon.

Harvey was expected to face a first-degree murder charge.