WILKES-BARRE -- Police have charged a man with the stabbing death of a veteran in Wilkes-Barre.
Bryan Hogan was stabbed to death in his apartment in the heights section of Wilkes-Barre in January. His family demanded justice and Thursday, almost three months after the death, charges were filed.
Matthew Vantine, 27, was arraigned Thursday morning, charged him with criminal homicide.
Vantine said he did not kill Hogan and that Hogan was a good man.
But court papers tell a different story. Police say they found DNA evidence of the victim, Bryan Hogan, on Vantine's clothing. Police also found Vantine's DNA on the knife allegedly used to kill Hogan.
Police filed a search warrant for Vantine's DNA and belongings in February, after he was charged with robbing a Turkey Hill store. At the time, he was also a person of interest for the death of Hogan.
Police say the victim met Vantine and Vantine's girlfriend at the mission shelter at Sherman Hills.
Court papers show the victim invited the couple to stay with him at his apartment at Interfaith Heights. Late in January, the two men were drinking beer, an argument followed that led to a fight, and according to court records, that's when Vantine plunged a knife into Hogan's chest.
Vantine is now being held at the Luzerne County Jail without bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for the end of the month.