Michael Zindler poses with his wife Krista Lynn Zindler and his stepson Logan Kubik, 8, at a local park several years ago. Michael was pronounced dead at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh after he was stabbed at a residence in Black Brook Thursday morning. (Photo provided)

PLATTSBURGH — Greg Zindler doesn’t know the name of the teen who is accused of killing his brother.

But, he said Friday, “I hope he pays for this for the rest of his life.”

Michael Zindler died Thursday after, at about 10:56 a.m., a 14-year-old boy allegedly stabbed him in the chest at 15 O’Hara Road in the town of Black Brook.

“We cannot release the name of the juvenile charged, nor the relationship to the victim at this point,” State Police Troop B Public Information Officer Trooper Jennifer Fleishman said Friday morning.

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Not-guilty plea

The teen, who was taken into custody without incident by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department, was charged with second-degree murder for “intentionally causing the death of [Zindler],” Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie said in a statement on Friday.

While on Thursday State Police called teen a “youthful offender,” Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie said Friday that the boy will be prosecuted as a juvenile offender, defined as a 14- or 15-year-old according to circumstances that fit the murder charge.

In Clinton County Court, Youth Part on Thursday, the boy was arraigned before Judge Timothy J. Lawliss on the charge, and his attorney, Matthew Favro, entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf, the DA said.

Favro waived the time frame for a preliminary felony hearing but reserved the right to have one on a future date.

The boy was given over to the custody of Clinton County Sheriff David Favro to be taken to “an appropriate juvenile offender detention facility,” according to Wylie.

The teen’s next court appearance was set for Friday, Oct. 19.

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“Lost his knife”

Dustin Mitchell last saw Zindler — his cousin and best friend — last Saturday.

“He needed help putting tires and a new muffler on his truck,” Mitchell said.

Zindler picked him up at his home in Plattsburgh then drove to the house on O’Hara Road, where Mitchell believed his cousin was staying with a girlfriend.

They worked on the truck and later headed to Gander Outdoors at Champlain Center mall in Plattsburgh.

“Neither of us had been there,” Mitchell said. “He wanted to buy a new knife because he lost his.”

Along with a bottle of soda and some snack-size Chips Ahoy cookies, Zindler purchased a hunting-style knife, Mitchell said,

“We were taught, growing up, always carry a knife,” he said. “It’s just a handy tool to have on your person.”

Mitchell felt sure his cousin’s new knife was locked up in his Toyota 4Runner on Thursday.

“He never took his knives out of his car unless it was a pocket knife.”

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Loved children

Zindler and Mitchell grew up together. Their mothers, Lyn Reeves Corron and Christine Mitchell, are sisters and often spent weekends together.

“Me and Michael had our own little language,” Dustin said. “We had our own little nicknames for each other.”

For the past three years or so, he called Zindler “Coco.”

“My daughter absolutely loved Michael,” Dustin said of Airabella, who’s 3. “She called him ‘my Coco,'” and Dustin started doing it, too.

Zindler adored children, including his stepson, Logan, and they returned his affection.

“My daughter [Hailey, who’s 8] misses him dearly,” said Zindler’s brother, Greg. “Our whole family misses him dearly.”

“He loved babies,” Dustin said. “He just never got the opportunity to have one of his own.”

Dustin and Michael used to hang out at the mall — they liked shopping together.

And his cousin, Dustin said, always had to check out the shoe stores.

“He loved shoes.”

Especially shell-top sneakers, the kind with the large cap on the toe and lines on the sides running from the laces to the sole.

And while Dustin couldn’t quite understand why, “they had to be white.”

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“Good-bye from Uncle Bob”

Robert C. Reeves Jr., Michael’s uncle, helped raise Michael from the time he was a baby.

“I taught him how to fish and hunt. Him and I were inseparable,” he said.

“He wore his heart on his sleeve. His heart was as big as his head — he’d do anything for anybody, take the shirt off his back, lend you money …”

And his nephew was right there with a hug; Michael knew the value of a good hug in a time of need.

“Good-bye from Uncle Bob,” Reeves said, his voice choked with emotion as he spoke directly to his nephew. “I love you.”

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“Made me proud”

For the past few summers, Dustin said, Michael worked for Fosters’ Tent and Canopy Rentals in West Chazy, putting up tents and doing other setup.

“He stuck with it,” his cousin and best friend said. “He made me proud.”

Michael had served some prison time for aggravated criminal contempt; he’d been arrested after allegedly hitting his wife.

“Yes, that did happen,” Krista Lynn Zindler said Friday. “(But) he has changed from what he used to be. He (was) taking steps to fix his anger and how to control it.”

“He was trying really hard to turn his life around,” Dustin said. “He was actually going to get his own place and all kinds of stuff.”

He believed Michael was staying at the home where he was killed.

“My brother was a great guy,” Greg. “Yes, he had a not-so-good past but he was trying his hardest to improve himself.”

A representative of Fosters’ chose not to comment for this story.

Krista said she and Michael, who were married six years, were estranged but trying to work things out. He was staying with a girlfriend when he was killed, she said.

“He loved the outdoors; he loved to have fun,” she continued. “He was always a family man; his family came first. He was very close with his mom dad [Gregory Zindler Sr.] and brother.”

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“He’s up there”

Dustin can’t imagine life without “Coco.”

“He was my everything,” he said. “He wasn’t just my cousin — he was my brother, my best friend, my person who I talked to that I trusted with everything.”

He’ll talk to Michael still, he said, for “he’s up there [in heaven] with his puppy.”

Michael had named his dog Titan Michael Zinder, giving the pit bull his own name as a middle name; Dustin called his pup Thor Titan Mitchell to honor his cousin’s canine.

That’s how close they were.

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“Don’t speculate”

Zindler attended Beekmantown Central School.

The teen who allegedly killed him is apparently a Peru Central School student.

The district activated its Crisis Intervention Team met Friday morning to talk about how to “address any impact on staff, students and the community,” according to a post on Peru Central’s Facebook page.

“School counselors are available to any Peru student, faculty or staff member who feel the need to talk.

“At this point in time, the district has limited access to the facts about this incident, as the situation is still developing,” the post said. “The students and employees of the Peru Central School District are not in danger.

“Peru’s School Resource Officer has a regular presence across the district and will continue to provide security to our schools.”

The post also discouraged speculation about what transpired to result in Zindler’s death.

“It is important that we allow the professionals to handle the situation and not engage in speculation.”

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“No mercy”

Reeves attended Peru Central at the same time as Michael Murphy and Andrew Pitkin, and the outcome of events surrounding them has him thinking hard about the teen who is accused of killing his nephew.

On April 12, 1984, 14-year-old Murphy attacked and killed 10-year-old Pitkin in the woods near their homes in Peru’s Valcour neighborhood, stabbing him 33 times.

Convicted of second-degree murder, Murphy was sentenced to nine to life in prison.

He was released from Fishkill State Correctional Facility in June 2012.

“This cannot turn out like another Murphy case,” Reeves said. “He dismembered Andrew Pitkin, and they let this man go.

“There should be no mercy for (Michael’s killer). He took a human life.”

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Press-Republican reporter McKenzie DeLisle contributed to this report.