(JTA) — A Brooklyn construction worker was arrested in connection with the murder of real estate developer Menachem Stark.
Kendel Felix, 26, was employed by a contractor who worked for Stark, the New York Daily News reported. Felix, who was arrested Wednesday night after being questioned by police earlier in the day, is described by police sources as a “main player” in the January killing, according to the daily.
A police source told the Daily News that Felix and two accomplices wanted to rob Stark, not kill him. Felix reportedly told police that they accidentally suffocated Stark when he struggled to escape. The accomplices also were taken into custody and questioned on Wednesday.
The three suspects reportedly were linked to the crime by evidence discovered in the van used to kidnap Stark, a father of seven. A security camera outside Stark’s office in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn had captured the kidnapping.
His body was found the next day, Jan. 3, in a dumpster on suburban Long Island some 16 miles from his office. Police said he was suffocated and his body burned.
