Did the bloody past of a convicted murderer finally catch up with him – 30 years after he shot a man to death in a Harlem robbery?
City detectives were investigating yesterday whether Patrick Flynn was gunned down and left in a Brooklyn trash heap last week in retaliation for a 1972 slaying that sent him to jail for 29 years.
The 48-year-old was released in December 2000, and was trying to rebuild his life, his family said.
Flynn – who was hit in the face and chest – was last seen leaving his Manhattan construction job Feb. 28. His body was found Saturday in a Williamsburg trash yard.
Police think his body was left in a Dumpster somewhere, and a garbage truck picked it up and hauled it to the site. Police say there are few leads, and are now pursuing the theory Flynn was killed by someone harboring a hatred since his 1972 crime.