Cape Coral man found guilty of killing, dismembering father

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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Matthew Marshall, 33, is guilty of killing and dismembering his father, James Richard Marshall, 58, a jury decided Thursday.

Parts of his father’s body were found near the Island Cove home they shared, Cape Coral police said. Investigators found other body parts in a canal more than a mile away.

James Richard Marshall was reported missing in February.

Matthew Marshall will be sentenced on Nov. 21 for felony charges of second-degree homicide without premeditation, abuse of a dead human body and tampering with evidence. Matthew Marshall is also facing fraud charges for using his father’s credit card the day James Richard Marshall went missing.

Matthew Marshall attempted to defend himself while on trial, despite repeated advice from a judge. He called five witnesses to the stand and cross-examined his own brother, which made for an awkward atmosphere.

Prosecution didn’t spend much time on examining witnesses Thursday, instead objecting to Marshall’s improperly formatted line of questions.

Marshall at one point disrobed from the waist up while in court Thursday, revealing tattoos on both upper arms. He argued that a witness said the man who was seen emerging from a canal where his father’s body was found did not have any markings.

marshall

Public record documents show he requested that images of his father’s body be removed from admissible evidence in court.

Handwritten letter addressed to the Lee County Clerk of Courts.
Handwritten letter addressed to the Lee County Clerk of Courts.

James Marshall’s friends said they are relieved that Matthew Marshall was convicted.

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