Manchester Man Indicted in Slaying of Point Boro Man in Long Branch

By Christopher Sheldon and Denise Di Stephan

A Manchester man was indicted Wednesday for allegedly robbing and killing a Point Borough man in Long Branch, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's office.

Michael Wells, 56, who was remembered fondly by friends in the Point Beach fishing community, was found dead in a Long Branch backyard on April 10.

Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said on Wednesday, in a prepared statement, that Alan Bienkowski, 54, is charged in the six-count indictment with first degree murder, first degree felony murder, first degree armed robbery, second degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and second degree "Certain Persons Not to Possess a Weapon."

Bienkowski has been held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution on $1.45 million cash-only bail since his arrest in May for the death of Wells.

Wells worked for Dutch Prime Foods at the time of his murder and the Long Branch company notified the Long Branch Police that he was missing at 5 a.m. on April 10.

At 7:45 a.m., a resident of a nearby neighborhood reported a man, later identified as Wells, was lying in her yard.

On May 16, Bienkowski was arrested and charged for the murder. 

If convicted of murder or felony murder, Bienkowski faces a minimum sentence of 30 years in a state prison without parole and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. He would also be under parole supervision for five years following his release from state prison. 

If convicted of armed robbery, he faces a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison and would also be subject to five years of parole supervision upon his release from prison. 

The case is assigned to Assistant Prosecutors Jennifer Lipp and Matthew Bogner. Bienkowski is represented by Robert Gaynor, Esq., of Freehold.