Prosecution Presents Cellphone Evidence in Menachem Stark Murder Trial; Defense Set to Begin Tuesday

BROOKLYN
Menachem Stark, H"yd
Menachem Stark, H”yd

The trial of Kendel Felix concluded its eighth day on Monday, as prosecutors continued presenting evidence from cellphone towers and call logs.

Felix is on trial for the kidnapping and murder of Menachem Stark, H”yd, who was abducted outside his Williamsburg office on the night of January 2-3, 2014. His body was found the next day in Great Neck, Long Island.

Several people were involved in the crime, but Felix is the only one who has been charged thus far. He confessed to the crime in April 2014, though he has now pleaded not guilty and his attorney, Jack Goldberg, says that the confession was coerced. The prosecution played a video of Felix’s confession on Friday, in which he implicated several family members.

On Monday, investigators from the New York Police Department and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office testified regarding the cellphone towers that the defendant’s phone connected with at certain times during the night of the crime, as well as about phone calls and text messages between the defendant and others believed to have been involved in the crime. The information is significant for purposes of tracking the defendant to the locations he mentioned in his confession. The record of communications shows a flurry of activity between the defendant and four others believed to have been involved in the crime. Furthermore, the lack of cellphone communication during certain hours may be relevant in proving the truth of the defendant’s confession regarding who was in the car with him and Menachem at certain times during the night of the murder.

On Tuesday, the defense will have a doctor who examined the defendant testify that a motorcycle accident and resulting brain injury he suffered several years ago rendered him vulnerable to aggressive police questioning, and that the confession was coerced. Goldberg will seek to show that the defendant’s confession merely repeated information police had told him about the crime.

The prosecution will present its own doctor as a rebuttal witness. Closing arguments are expected to wrap up on Thursday.

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!