Found Deceased PA - Robert Baron, 58, Old Forge, 25 Jan 2017 *arrest*

[PommyMommy]

The search for Robert Baron | wnep.com

I went back and watched the video in the link above to see if I could find any resemblance to Schuback, but the video of the man in shorts is blurred and the one dragging the suitcase is too dark.

If you haven't watched the video, here's what it shows (from the article):

The first clip shows a man in shorts walking near Main Street just after midnight on January 26. The Barons said this man matches the description of a man that a witness saw outside of Ghigiarelli's less than an hour earlier.

The next video clip shows a man holding a lit cigarette and pulling a rolling suitcase behind him. At the same time, the first man comes back the way he came.

The Barons are interested in the suitcase seen in the video since they say a similar one was stored in an apartment above Ghigiarelli's.

Prayers for Robert's family. It must be difficult to learn that someone known to them (Schuback is/was a friend of Robert's son) is allegedly responsible for Robert's death, although based on the family's previous statements, it seems they were already aware of this. MOO

 

[Richrd]

.
Awaiting (Lower) Magisterial District Judge Court Preliminary Arraignment*

FOUND DECEASED - PA - Robert Scott Baron Sr, 58 - Olde Forge, Lackawanna County - January 2017 ***Arrest***

Defendant:
Justin Francis Schuback, 37
Born: 7 January 1986

Police Criminal Complaint and Affadavit of Probable Cause:

https://www.pahomepage.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/91/2023/03/Schuback-Affadavit.pdf

*Check-Back:

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Report/MdjCourtSummary?docketNumber=MJ-11104-TR-0000370-2023&dnh=7fFlAqhg%2BtHBCM3bO5fD4g%3D%3D

(Expecting a to-be-assigned Docket Number similar to:
MJ-45101-CR-00001**-2023)

Google™ Supplements & Updates:

Justin F. Schuback - PA - Google Search

Current Confinement:
Lackawanna County Prison
ID Number20060****

.

 

[PommyMommy]

Wow! Thank you for the probable cause affidavit, @Richrd. That was quite a read. So now we know who the guy in the shorts was (not mentioning his name since he's not a POI or suspect) and what he was doing there.

I'm relieved to read the details of this investigation. They've placed Schuback at the crime scene, the disposal site, and the location where the vehicle was abandoned via phone records. They've matched his DNA to samples taken from the steering wheel of the car as well as the inside door handle. Several witnesses have informed police that Schuback was out that night and had wads of cash which was very unusual for him.

Schuback is going down. MOO

 

[durunner]

This is about an hour from me. Heard about it years ago. Old Forge is known for their pizza. I was in the area visiting a friend in February and stopped at another place. I walked around to see the other places and stumbled on Baron's place and his missing poster sign out front.

When I heard they were searching earlier this week, I found and listened to the podcast. By searching. I found Justin's name and sure enough, he was arrested.

I don't understand how this took so long. This should be a pretty important case. It's not any area with a lot of missing persons and homicide cases. From all they had gathered, it was obvious Baron's body wasn't transported far. The park and wooded area is literally right next to the suspect's house. Why wasn't Baron found sooner? Did they not search there or not search enough?

Thankful that there are finally answers.

 

[Darling136]

Another msm

Remains found, arrest made in 2017 disappearance of Pennsylvania man Robert Baron

37-year-old Justin Schuback was arrested Friday for the murder of Robert Baron.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[PommyMommy]

APR 3, 2023

New technology aided police in Robert Baron homicide arrest

EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — The investigation into who killed Robert Baron Sr. took just over six years before an arrest was made. After reading the affidavit, many people are wondering why it to…

www.pahomepage.com

• The affidavit states LE obtained the cell tower records for Schuback’s phone on July 5, 2018.
• In 2023, thanks to support from the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team, LE was able to use advanced forensic analysis tools to precisely locate where Schuback’s phone allegedly was.
• After finding RB’s body and receiving assistance from the FBI, the DA believes he now has enough to successfully prosecute this case.
• "Certainly having a body helps, and that — that was a critical component, but it’s also the location of the body that helps, circumstantially, establish that Mr. Schuback is the one and only responsible person for this murder." LACKAWANNA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY MARK POWELL
• Police will continue to investigate.

 

[PommyMommy]

APR 10, 2023

Hearing delayed to May in Baron killing, defense attorneys are appointed​

Officials rescheduled a court hearing Monday for a man charged in the death of Old Forge pizzeria owner Robert Baron Sr. to give defense attorneys more time to prepare.

Justin Schuback is now scheduled for a preliminary hearing May 19 in the Lackawanna County Courthouse. Magisterial District Judge Terrence V. Gallagher is set to hear the case.

[...]

 

[Richrd]

.
19 May (Lower) Court Date

per above post.

.

 

[Richrd]

.
25 May (Lower) Court Date

Defendant - Justin Francis Schuback, 37

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Report/MdjDocketSheet?docketNumber=MJ-45101-CR-0000129-2023&dnh=xI%2F4ClWONINopLjF2yUOwg%3D%3D

.

 

[CCJD]

Officials on the scene wouldn't give much information, but they said they were heading back to the same area to search for more evidence. The wooded area near Pagnotti Park is where former pizza shop owner Robert Baron's remains were found in March.

Police return to the place where Robert Baron's remains were found

Investigators were back at Pagnotti Park in Old Forge Thursday morning.

www.wnep.com

 

[CCJD]

Coroner Timothy Rowland stated Thursday’s search produced additional skeletal remains believed to be that of Baron.

Forensic Anthropology will ultimately determine identification, however, Rowland said significant human skeletal components involving the upper torso and head remain missing.

More skeletal remains found during Robert Baron’s investigation

OLD FORGE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The coroner states additional skeletal remains discovered, believed to be of Robert Baron as investigators were back at Pagnotti Park in Old Forge Thursda…

www.pahomepage.com

 

[PommyMommy]

MAY 25, 2023

Preliminary hearing for suspect in Baron case

A Lackawanna County man accused of murdering Old Forge businessman Robert Baron back in 2017 was in court Thursday.

www.wnep.com

[...]

Thursday, the Lackawanna County District Attorney's office presented its case. D.A. Mark Powell had seven witnesses testify during Schuback's preliminary hearing.

State Police crime scene investigator, Trooper James Hitchcock, spoke about photos in Baron's restaurant, Ghigarelli's, that showed blood and a cleanup, along with an open cash register and $50 missing from it.

Lackawanna County coroner Tim Rowland also testified about finding remains in March and how he consulted with other forensic experts to determine the cause of death to be traumatic injuries. The death certificate was just changed on Monday to reflect the cause and manner of death as a homicide.

Two DNA experts also explained their findings at the scene and in a car.

[...]

Then Courtney Rake, Schuback's ex-girlfriend took the stand. Rake was living with Schuback when the crime happened. She said she texted and called him the night of Baron's disappearance to see where he was. Schuback finally texted her back around 1:30 am, saying "I'll explain when I get back."

[...]

Another investigator also testified about a timeline, saying they determined where Schuback's cellphone was from the pizza shop... to his house... and to Pagnotti Park, where Robert Baron's remains were located in March.

[...]

Robert Baron's Alleged Murderer in Court Today

On Monday, a four-hour preliminary hearing was held at the Lackawanna County Courthouse in Downtown Scranton for 37-year-old Justin Schuback.Schuback was arrest

fox56.com

At the end of the hearing, the judge stated that the case is “bound over” which means that it will move from the magistrate level to the district court with a formal arraignment to follow.

 

[PommyMommy]

MAY 25, 2023

Preliminary hearing held for Justin Schuback in Baron homicide investigation

LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — There was high drama Thursday inside a Lackawanna County courtroom during a nearly five-hour-long hearing for the man accused of murdering a well-known area business…

www.pahomepage.com

[...]

Thursday a judge ruled there is sufficient evidence to send 37-year-old Justin Schuback to trial for the murder of 58-year-old Robert Baron of Old Forge.

Loads of dramatic and scientific testimonies were heard Thursday at the hearing which lasted nearly 5 hours. There was standing room only in courtroom number two as members of both the Baron and Schuback families were in attendance.

[...]

Schuback is expected to stand trial by the end of the year. Members of the Baron and Schuback families did not want to comment after the hearing.

Judge: Schuback to stand trial for homicide of Old Forge restaurateur Robert Baron

May 25—SCRANTON — The man accused of killing an Old Forge restaurant owner at the center of a high-profile missing person investigation will stand trial, a judge ordered Thursday. Magisterial District Judge Terrence V. Gallagher found enough evidence exists against Justin Schuback to warrant a...

news.yahoo.com

[...]

Defense attorney Bernard Brown, who is defending Schuback alongside attorney Jordan Leonard, argued prosecutors could not show Schuback stepped foot inside Ghigiarelli's the night Baron disappeared.

"We were able to see how there was certain evidence, particularly the DNA evidence, that actually excluded him from being inside (the restaurant)," Brown said after the hearing.

The hearing lasted more than four hours and included the testimony of seven people. Bearded and clad in a beige jumpsuit, Schuback sat at the defense table in a Lackawanna County courtroom largely populated by members of Baron's family, who did not comment as they left the courthouse.

Pictures of the crime scene flashed across a television screen. Yellow markers noted where in the restaurant investigators found evidence of blood, Trooper James Hitchcock testified.

[...]