Stark Murder Suspect to Be Arraigned Friday

The suspect in the abduction and brutal murder of Williamsburg resident Reb Menachem Stark, Hy”d, will be arraigned on Friday morning in Brooklyn Supreme Court, with family members of the victim asking people to attend in a show of support.

A contract construction worker who did some jobs on the property of Mr. Stark, a 39-year-old beloved father of seven young children, Kendel Felix allegedly kidnapped him late on a snowy night on Jan. 2 with the intent to rob him. The 26-year-old man from Crown Heights had imagined Mr. Stark, a successful real estate developer, to be carrying large amounts of cash on him.

The abduction, caught on a surveillance camera, showed the victim fighting back with at least two attackers.

Following a months-long investigation by the New York and Nassau police departments, Felix was arrested in May and was indicted for second-degree murder, which carries a penalty of 25 years to life in prison.

Investigators believe that Felix, described as the “main player,” drove the getaway van. He hatched the plan to rob him, tracking his car and scoping out his home. According to police, Felix and his accomplices put a cellphone tracking device on the bottom of Mr. Stark’s car days before. It was that action that allowed police to pick up their trail. The phone was quickly discovered by detectives and linked to the three men.

An investigation into the two other accomplices is ongoing, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson.

Felix is expected to plead not guilty at his arraignment at 10:00 Friday morning before Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Neil Firetog. He has retained a private attorney.

In a public letter, the Stark family requested people to “show support for the Stark family” by attending the hearing, at 320 Jay Street.

This article appeared in print on page 1 of the July 11th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.