Man charged with killing coworker Matthew James Branning
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- The case stumped investigators for more than a year but now a man has been charged with killing his co-worker in Bucks County. Michael Stark, 49, is now charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder.
The Bucks County District Attorney's Office says he is responsible for killing his co-worker Matthew Branning who vanished more than a year ago.
"Matthew Branning was scheduled to end his shift at 4 p.m. that day and Stark was lying in wait," Bucks County First Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said.
Both men worked at Enchlor INC, a small manufacturing company in Silverdale.
Investigators say Stark skipped work, took an Uber on October 15, 2021, and waited outside the office building before kidnapping his co-worker. Branning was later seen that day on surveillance video withdrawing $500 from a nearby ATM.
Investigators believe the motive in this case was robbery.
"When Matthew Branning was last seen alive withdrawing funds from the BB&T Bank it's clear there's someone in the backseat of the vehicle," Schorn said.
Detectives say toll and cell phone data tracked Stark's movement.
They say he took Branning's SUV and drove to Somers Point, New Jersey, where there is about an hour-and-a-half of unaccounted time. From Somers Point, investigators say Stark was seen on camera inside a Wawa in Cape May.
From there, they say he headed north to Needle Park in Kensington and then back south into Fairfax, Virginia where Branning's SUV was eventually recovered.
They believe the 50-year-old Branning was killed sometime after that encounter.
"Forensic evidence was found in the vehicle that directly links Stark to the vehicle," Schorn said. "His DNA was recovered from the steering wheel."
Stark was arrested last spring in Michigan on a warrant out of Monroe County. He was extradited to Pennsylvania in July last year.
We're told Branning's sister testified in front of a grand jury. Stark was arraigned Thursday and is now being held without bail.
Branning's body has still not been recovered.
We spoke with his brother and mother who didn't want to go on camera. They believed Stark was responsible from day one.
Now, they're relying on their faith and hoping for a conviction.
Authorities are asking anyone who may have information to come forward.
Full press conference with Bucks County First Assistant D.A. Jennifer Schorn
CBS News Philadelphia carried the Bucks County D.A.'s press conference on the case and you can watch it below.
