He has been the prime suspect since an 88-year-old neighbor was beaten to death in his own home on Kalamazoo’s east side three years ago this month. Now, authorities in that city say 43-year-old Todd Maneke is facing open murder charges for allegedly killing Alfred Minka. Kalamazoo Public Safety Captain Victor Ledbetter says the man they arrested was the most likely candidate from the beginning, but it took a lot of good old fashioned detective work and a bit of evidence that had been overlooked to finally put all the pieces in place.
“Make sure that we got it sent up to the (Michigan State Police) lab,” says Ledbetter. “That came back with some positive results for us and allowed us to tie up some loose ends.”
Maneke lived across the street from Minka and had reportedly borrowed money from the elderly man that he had not paid back. The suspect also reportedly had a drug problem.
