The trial for Erskine Felix, who was charged with kidnapping and second-degree murder for the 2014 slaying of Williamsburg landlord Menachem Stark, is currently underway in Brooklyn — where one of the alleged killer’s own family members rolled over on him Friday.
“Is it easy for you to sit here and testify against your family,” asked Assistant District Attorney Howard Jackson.
“No sir,” said Felix’s cousin, Irvine Henry, 37.
The Saint Lucia native described how Felix — who is accused of kidnapping Stark and killing him with help from his cousins, Kendall Felix and Kendel Felix — called him up on the night of the murder and tried to involve him.
“He said he was in the neighborhood and he was coming to see me,” Henry recalled. “He said he wanted me to come outside to speak to him.”
Henry said his cousin tried playing dumb at first, but he eventually found out what was going on once he walked outside.
“I was asked to come in the van by Erskine through the passenger sliding door,” Henry remembered, describing the Dodge Caravan that Felix allegedly used to transport Stark’s body.
He said he took one step in and saw it — “someone in the vehicle slumped over behind the driver’s seat.”
“The person was seated but he was tilted to the window,” Henry said, noting how Stark — who was Hasidic —– was still wearing his religious garb.
“I believe the person had a hat on and I couldn’t see his face,” Henry said. “His hat was pulled down.”
Henry said he was “then told by Erskine that we had just kidnapped somebody and we
were going to hold him for ransom.” Felix allegedly claimed that Stark owed him $20,000.
“He wanted me to come with him to go get the victim’s car,” Henry testified. “It was mentioned by Erskine we were going to Williamsburg.”
Once there, Henry said he tried talking some sense into his cousin.
“I suggested we are two black men in a Jewish neighborhood with a man we kidnapped,” Henry said. “It was best to get out of here.”
After disposing of the body, Henry claimed the Felixes tried contacting him again to see if he wanted to return with them the dump site. He allegedly refused.
“I wanted no involvement with this,” Henry said Friday in court. “I was trying to get myself out of the situation.”
Cops eventually found out about the killing and arrested everyone involved, including Henry. They charged him with conspiracy, hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence and locked him up at Rikers for three months.
In February 2017, Henry signed a cooperation agreement with the DA’s office and agreed to plead guilty to the charges in return for his testimony and time served. He told prosecutors on Friday that he was no longer close with his family.
“[We] used to hang out,” Henry said, noting how the group regularly “socialized.”
“You respected [Felix]?” asked the accused killer’s lawyer, Mark Henry Pollard.
“Yes,” replied Henry.
Asked if the people inside Felix’s van were in fact his family members, Henry said: “Yes.”
His testimony came just days after Kendall Felix was sentenced to a maximum of 7 years in prison for his involvement in Stark’s murder.
Kendall admitted to aiding Felix in the killing and burning Stark’s body, but he was only charged with conspiracy and hindering prosecution thanks to a deal he cut with Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun. Kendall pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this year.
Stark’s family felt his punishment was a slap on the wrist, especially since prosecutors had asked for a stiffer sentence.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Stark’s sister-in-law, Yenti Herskovitz, after the sentencing. “This was absolutely cruel beyond words.”
Erskine faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the kidnapping and murder charges. Kendel Felix was accused of the same crimes and found guilty in September 2016.