The only witness to the January slaying of a would-be banker on the Lower East Side has supplied cops with enough information to produce a sketch of the shooter, sources have told The Post.
Forrest Bloede, 24 – who cops initially charged in the killing – had declined to speak with investigators for more than three months, relenting only after the victim’s family pilloried him for not cooperating.
Bloede spoke to detectives last week and again Monday, giving a physical description of the shooter and an accomplice, but refused to answer questions on the advice of his lawyer, investigators said.
“Whoever told you that is damned liar,” said Glenn Wolther, Bloede’s lawyer. “Forrest Bloede has been fully cooperating with all requests from both the district attorney’s office and the NYPD.”
Bloede initially said he and Burke O’Brien, 25, were walking home to O’Brien’s Orchard Street apartment in the early morning of Jan. 12 when they were confronted by two robbers, one of whom fatally shot O’Brien.
Bloede was arrested and charged with the murder of his Colorado State University fraternity brother, but was released 12 hours later.
Police said Bloede’s jacket bore gunpowder residue, but not enough for him to have fired the shot.
Nor was a credible motive established for Bloede to have shot his buddy, cops said at the time.
A woman who heard the shot said she didn’t hear anyone arguing or running away from the scene.