Murder of Menachem Stark

Kendall Felix, who admitted to burning Stark's body, was charged with conspiracy and hindering prosecution. He pleaded guilty in 2019 to both counts in exchange for a plea bargain offered by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun. In March 2019, he was sentenced to 2 1/3–7 years behind bars, over prosecutors’ objections. Felix, who was confronted by Stark's widow, declined to address Chun or Stark's family during his sentencing.

In April 2019, Erskine Felix was convicted of second-degree murder, first degree kidnapping and tampering with physical evidence for masterminding and carrying out the fatal kidnapping. He was acquitted of another first-degree kidnapping charge and a conspiracy charge. Jurors took fewer than five hours of deliberation to convict Felix. In June he was sentenced to 24 years to life.

In May 2019, Kendel Felix was sentenced to 15-years-to-life in prison. He apologized to the victim's family.

Stark exited his office located at 331 Rutledge Street in Williamsburg on January 2, 2014, at around 11:45 pm into a heavy blizzard. A surveillance camera positioned near the office captured images of Stark struggling with two attackers for nearly five minutes, before being forced into a silver Dodge Caravan in an intended robbery. Broken handcuffs and plastic restraining tape were later found on the sidewalk. His badly burned body was found the next day smoldering in a dumpster outside a Getty gas station on Cutter Mill Road in Great Neck, New York.

In May 2014, Kendel Felix was indicted on charges of second-degree murder, kidnapping, and attempted robbery in the case. He said that he and two accomplices had kidnapped Stark, hoping to get the money. According to the New York Post, Kendel confessed to the killing and admitted to being the driver of the van, as well as one of the men who wrestled with Stark on the sidewalk.

Bank accounts belonging to Southside LLC (Stark and Perlmutter's corporation) appear to have been tampered with to conceal a diversion of funds. According to court filings, $3.6 million was found to be missing from accounts maintained by Southside LLC. Unauthorized withdrawals had been made in the second half of 2013.

Public records showed that Stark and his business partner, Israel Perlmutter, had some business troubles, dating back to the 2007–2009 recession, including a $29 million loan default resulting in a 2009 bankruptcy and a lawsuit in 2011, and an unrelated $2.9 million loan default that led to a $4 million judgement in 2012. The media also reported on a long list of building violations in properties owned by Stark and his partners. Tenants had described revolting conditions in Stark-owned residential buildings for many years, although shortly after Stark's death, glowing reviews of his properties began to appear on social media sites.

Menachem ("Max") Stark (July 15, 1974 – January 3, 2014) was an American real estate developer whose badly burned body was found smoldering in a dumpster outside a gas station in Great Neck, New York.