The Robert Baron murder trial has started today, Monday, May 6, 2024. The trial is expected to take about two weeks, beginning with jury selection today.
I think most locals will agree this case has haunted Northeastern Pennsylvania ever since Robert Baron went missing under suspicious circumstances in late January 2017. He was the owner of the iconic Old Forge restaurant Ghigiarelli’s — a 100-year-old establishment. Gruesome details about his disappearance made the news, such as the discovery of blood and a tooth at Baron’s family-owned establishment. Billboards pleading for help solving the case were constant reminders of this horrible mystery, which went unsolved for six long years.
Justin Schuback, 38, of Foundry Street in Old Forge, who was an associate of Robert Baron’s son, was arrested on March 31, 2023. He is charged with:
• Murder Of The First Degree
• Murder Of The Second Degree
•Murder Of The Third Degree Robbery-Inflict Serious Bodily Injury
• Burglary – Overnight Accommodations; Person Present, Bodily Injury Crime Theft By Unlaw Taking-Movable Prop
• Criminal Homicide
• Abuse Of Corpse
Shuback pleaded not guilty to all charges at his June 2023 preliminary hearing, despite the fact it was his cell-tower data that led police straight to Robert Baron’s remains.
Sources
[Paywall] Murder trial in death of Robert Baron set to start Monday, The Citizen’s Voice, May 4, 2024
Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas Docket for Justin Shuback