Two brothers were arrested Thursday in connection to a 2014 murder of a Williamsburg landlord, police said.
Menachem Stark, 39, was kidnapped outside the South Side Associated in Williamsburg by two men who forced him into their car on Jan. 2, 2014, police said. He was found murdered the next day inside a trash bin on Long Island, they said.
Erskin Felix, 38, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, was charged with second-degree murder and kidnapping, while his brother, Kendall Felix, 28, also of Bedford-Stuyvesant, was charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence.
Two years ago, in April 2014, a third man, Kendel Felix, 29, of Crown Heights, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and kidnapping. Kendel Felix is a cousin of the brothers, the Brooklyn district attorney’s office said.
Kendel Felix was convicted of the murder a few weeks ago, which helped catch the other two involved, the district attorney’s office said.
“This long-term, complex investigation leading to the arrest of this defendant and his co-defendant is testament to the commitment of this office and the New York City Police Department to get justice for the Stark family,” acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
According to the trial testimony and Kendel Felix’s confession, Erskin Felix had done construction work for Stark and believed Stark owed him money. Kendel said Erskin asked him to help kidnap Stark, the district attorney’s office said. Kendel said the two had only intended to kidnap and rob Stark, but Stark resisted and he was killed when one of them sat on his chest.
The two then picked up Erskin’s brother, Kendall, who helped them dispose of the body, the district attorney’s office said. They drove Stark’s body to Nassau County on Long Island, put it in a trash bin, threw gasoline on it and set it on fire, the office said.
Kendel Felix is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 2 and faces up to 25 years in prison. Erskin and Kendall Felix are awaiting arraignment. The former faces up to 25 years in prison and the latter faces up to seven years.
