A grand jury has indicted a man in the violent murder of his elderly neighbor.
Alan Bienkowski, 54, of Manchester Township, N.J. was indicted in Ocean County on first-degree murder, robbery , theft and weapon charges in the beating death of 76-year-old Anthony Verdicchio.
The investigation began back on May 13 after Manchester Township police received a call shortly after 5 p.m. reporting that an elderly man was unconscious and not breathing inside his home in the Pine Acres Manor Mobile Home Park in Manchester Township. When they arrived, they found Verdicchio dead inside the home.
Officials say Verdicchio died from multiple blunt force traumas to the head and face. The county coroner ruled the death a homicide.
Investigators say Verdicchio was last seen alive on May 12, during the 9 a.m. service at St. Paul Lutheran Church on Cable Avenue in Beachwood, N.J.
About a month later, police announced that they arrested Verdicchio’s neighbor, Bienkowski. If convicted, Bienkowski faces a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato.
Bienkowski remains behind bars in Monmouth County currently facing another murder charge, according to prosecutors.
