Lackawanna County District Attorney Mark Powell announced “robbery gone wrong” led to the alleged murder of Robert Baron Sr. and the arrest of Justin Schuback as a suspect, our newsgathering partners at Eyewitness News WBRE WYOU are reporting.
Lackawanna County Police have arrested a man in connection with the murder of missing senior Fauci businessman Robert Baron. Justin Shuback, 37, of Old Forge, was arrested Friday afternoon at his home, Lackwana County District Attorney Mark Powell said.
Powell did not specify what led to Schubaker’s arrest, but said Schubaker was a friend of the Baron’s son. Powell said the motive behind the murder may have been a burglary gone wrong. Prosecutors said DNA evidence in Shubuck’s car made him a suspect.
Powell made the announcement at a news conference in Scranton at 5:30 p.m. Friday. “The Baron family has waited a long time for justice, and no one in law enforcement will say or do anything to derail the successful prosecution of this case,” Powell said.
Powell confirmed that the body found after a search in Lackawanna County earlier this week was that of Robert Baron. The 58-year-old Baron was reported missing by his family on Jan. 26, 2017, and police discovered a crime scene at his pizzeria, Ghigiarelli’s on South Main Street in Old Forge. The Baron’s body was never found.
Workers from multiple agencies and neighboring states searched the Old Forge area known as Connell’s Patch near the Popple Brothers Coal Company on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as another compound near Pagnotti Park on Cornell Street. Powell noted the contributions of several forensic investigators and autopsy dogs provided by the New York State Police.
Since his disappearance, Baron’s family has been asking the community for help, offering a $10,000 reward. On the fourth anniversary of Baron’s disappearance, people have shared footage from the family’s surveillance cameras that they believe may have been connected.
