Jury finds Justin Schuback guilty of first-degree murder

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A jury has found Justin Schuback guilty of first-degree murder in the death investigation of Robert Baron.

On Wednesday a jury found Schuback guilty on the following charges after six days of testimony:

• First-degree murder
• Robbery
• Burglary

38-year-old Justin Schuback was accused of robbing and killing Robert Baron owner of Ghigiarelli’s restaurant in Old Forge in 2017, then burying his body.

It’s been more than seven years since Baron Senior was initially reported missing on the morning of January 26, 2017. He was last seen the night before at about 10:30 p.m. after he took his son, Robert Baron Junior, home from work and then returned to the restaurant on South Main Street.

Police responded to the restaurant where they found blood evidence from what they believed to be a brutal attack. Officers noted it appeared that someone tried to clean up and left cleaning products at the scene.

Baron’s vehicle was located two days later in the 100 block of Howard Street with DNA on the steering wheel of Baron and another male. There wasn’t enough DNA collected in the sample to identify who the second person was.

During an interview with Baron Jr. officers asked if he knew anyone who might want to hurt his father. He immediately told them, “Justin Schuback.”

Investigators searched several properties, including Schuback’s Auto & Towing company, owned by Justin Schubacks’s first cousin.

The case had little movement until March of last year.

Advancements in forensics and cell tower analysis helped break the case and provide a timeline of Schuback’s movements the day Baron went missing.

Human remains were found in Pagnotti Park, they have since been determined to be Robert Baron Senior. Those findings led to Schuback’s arrest last March and he has been behind bars since.

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