Body in N. Phila. identified as insurer's His family had worried about the risks of carrying cash. Police believe the Lower Providence man was killed for his money.

Relatives cautioned David Scafetta about selling insurance in North Philadelphia, a job that meant sometimes carrying as much as $10,000.

"He'd cash welfare checks, Social Security checks, paychecks," his brother Joseph Scafetta Jr. said. "He was a walking bank."

But Scafetta, 55, of Lower Providence, who held a black belt in karate, told them not to worry. After working in some of the city's worst neighborhoods for 32 years, he knew the streets and carried a gun for protection.

But that wasn't enough. Yesterday, Philadelphia officials confirmed that the body found Tuesday in a North Philadelphia trash bin was Scafetta's. He'd been strangled, and police believe robbery was the motive.

Scafetta was last seen around 11:30 a.m. Monday working his insurance route in North Philadelphia. Police said they have some solid leads in the case.

Police Capt. Richard Ross, commander of the Homicide Unit, said more than one person was involved in the killing.

The remains were discovered after police received a tip around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday that there was a body in a trash bin at 2037 N. 11th St. The body was wrapped in plastic; to preserve the crime scene for forensic pathologists, the trash bin was taken in heavy rain to the Medical Examiner's Office in West Philadelphia.

Around the same time, investigators found Scafetta's car abandoned in the 1000 block of Boston Street, several blocks from where his body was found.

At a news conference yesterday at Police Headquarters, Ross said a rope had been wrapped around Scafetta's neck.

Scafetta had only his business cards in his pocket and no wallet or money when his body was found.

According to Ross, Scafetta was a fixture in the North Philadelphia area where he worked.

"He was selling insurance for a lot of years. A lot of folks knew him; a lot of folks liked him," he said. "We don't know whether he was lured."

Scafetta routinely helped people who were short on money, Ross said.

That endeared him to his customers and many others. Ross credits some of those people with helping in the investigation.

During a telephone interview yesterday, Joseph Scafetta Jr. said he believed his brother was ambushed on his way to a meeting with a client with whom he had an established business relationship. Maybe someone learned his brother's routine, he suggested.

"He knew all the dangers," Joseph Scafetta Jr. said. "I think he let his guard down."