The resolution of the case was also personal for Churchill. The story is about a man who searches for his missing wife and embarks on a journey of self-discovery in the process. Moreover, the rate of property crime in Toms River; burglary, larceny ($50 or more), grand theft auto, and arson; is 9 per 1,000 residents. Mathis House a Victorian Bed & Breakfast and Tea Room Toms River, NJ. (Thompson is incarcerated in the Angola prison for armed robbery and attempted murder of a policeman. Written by Brendan Krisel /Patch National Staff, with additional reporting by Michael Woyton/Patch Staff, NJ Attorney General's Office photo from Operation Heat. NEW JERSEY GIRL MURDERS 1960-1980 . He was getting closer to nailing Thompson, the last piece of the puzzle. 0:00. The number of homicides stood at 1. In January 2015, a parole board hearing for Marshall his first was approved and scheduled for March. Over the years, it was made into a true crime novel, called "Blind Faith" by Joe McGinniss and a TV mini-series. Then, last October, Scott telephoned Churchill with a question. Madonna's career in organized crime goes all the way back to the 50s. Case narratives of over 25 unsolved murders of girls, teenagers and women in New Jersey, 1960-1980. "The purpose of me going down there was for him to say I killed Maria Marshall and the people I had for my alibi were either lying or mistaken, " Churchill said. NeighborhoodScout provides exclusive crime risk analytics for every neighborhood in America with up to 98% predictive accuracy. Mary Ann and Lorraine were found five days after. But if there was any doubt about whether Marshall felt regret or sorrow over what he had done to his family was illustrated in what then-Assistant Prosecutor Kevin W. Kelly revealed during Marshall's trial in 1986. Senator questions governor, Shore Conference freshman leading Virginia Tech softball in batting, Toms River joins chorus of towns calling for a halt to offshore wind project amid a rise in whale deaths, Island Heights joins Toms River in shared garbage service agreement, Lakewoods Strand Theater announces board reorganization, New pulmonary hypertension center opens in Monmouth County, Admired Jackson Township school teacher named new mayor of Brick Township, 67-year-old man shot and killed inside Upper West Side apartment. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. Convicted of arranging the murder of his wife, Maria, at a Garden State Parkway rest stop in 1984, Robert O. Marshall, 75, has died in prison. Realizing the farm is where New York and North Jersey mobsters sent their bodies, the FBI and local officials began excavating the farm but never found any other bodies. This is about average for all cities and towns in America of all population sizes. Discover your neighborhood's best match, anywhere. Thats because, in 1967, the FBI led then by J. Edgar Hoover descended upon the Cook farm and uncovered a mafia burial ground. "We have charged 19 members and associates of the Luchese Crime Family, including its entire administration the street boss, underboss and consigliere with serious racketeering offenses. How does Toms River fare compared to other communities in New Jersey of all population sizes? Solving that piece of the murder had been on his bucket list ever since, he added. [4] Marshall's elder two sons, Roby and Christopher, vowed to speak in front of the board against their father's release. Robert Oakley Marshall (December 16, 1939 - February 21, 2015) was an American businessman who in 1984 was charged with (and later convicted of) the contract killing of his wife Maria. Maria Marshall, 42, was shot twice at close range in the back on Sept. 7, 1984, during a staged robbery at what was then a picnic area on a forested median strip of the Garden State Parkway in Lacey. "We always knew he got off because of a lot of people lying," Churchill said yesterday. Toms River is safer than 73% of the cities in the United States. All defendants in crime reports are presumed innocent until proven guilty. McAtasney told police he and Sarah were friends and that she was troubled and wanted to get away. admin commented on Get the Latest News & Alerts from the Toms River Police Department. 2C:28-6(1). The district built an arena that carried his name and held large concerts with top entertainment acts, a restaurant in the district administrative offices, and the purchase of a three-story office building which it leases out to private commercial tenants. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. [6], Marshall was convicted of capital murder for the murder-for-hire on March 5, 1986 and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Each day police blotters are filled with minor crimes, the rapidly increasing violent crime, and the also growing rate of gun violence and murder. 2C:11-3a(1), relative to the death of Frank Stochel in Manchester Township on February 24, 2020. The next thing he knew he had a knot on his head and was $2,000 lighter in the pockets. The search engine finds the neighborhoods that are the optimum fit to the set of criteria you choose. When Robert O. Marshall, the Toms River insurance salesman who was convicted of the murder-for-hire of his wife, Maria, in 1984, died in prison this week, there were many people who shared. "But for the first 18 years of my life he was my father, who supported his family, and was always there for us when we needed him.". 2C:11-3a(1), in connection with the shooting death of Javon Cutler which occurred in Toms River on October 11, 2020. The River Murders: Directed by Rich Cowan. Please check out our social media channels. I'm sorry for what I did to your mother, I'm sorry for how hard this has been on you and your brothers.' Crime : Toms River, NJ: Little Falls, NJ: United States: Violent Crime: 10.8: 11.6: 22.7: Property Crime: 35.1: 17.7: 35.4: Crime is ranked on a scale of 1 (low crime) to 100 (high crime) View More Data > Reviews for Toms River 0 Reviews. Other US patent applications are currently pending. Cause of death: ligature strangulation. At the time of the murder, the Marshalls were an all-American, upper, middle-class family who were pillars in Toms River society. Though lower courts initially rejected his argument, U.S. District Court Judge Joseph E. Irenas ruled on April 8, 2004 in Camden, New Jersey that Marshall received ineffective assistance from his attorney during the death penalty phase of his trial. Another man served a short jail sentence in exchange for testifying for the state, and a third man was sentenced to a life term for connecting Marshall to the murder-for-hire group, all of whom hailed from Louisiana. Then Churchill said he turned on the tape recorder and began asking Thompson a series of questions designed mainly for him to answer "yes" or "no.". "It is always important to know when something has reached its end. A day before the announcement of Thompsons confession from the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, the Caddo Parish District Attorneys Office announced the arrest of James Montgomery on second-degree murder charges in the death of his wife on Jan. 1, 1979. In a stunning admission that many in New Jersey law enforcement thought might never come, Larry Thompson, a 72-year-old inmate at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, confessed last month to. @NJSP (NJ Department of Corrections) NEW! Originally sentenced to death, in 2006, Marshall was resentenced to life in prison, with eligibility for parole in 2014. 70 Crash Investigation Closes Lanes Friday Morning: DOT, Toms River Schools Hit With $14.4M State Aid Cut For 2023-24, NJ Camp Fairs at Menlo Park Mall Mar 4, 2023 - FREE to Attend (12-3PM), Raisin, The Tony-Winning Best Musical - Second Incredible Week, Un Lucky Charms Murder Mystery Dinner Show, Green Tea Matcha and Sushi Dinner Party at the Historic Mathis House, Filipino Dinner Night with Live Music at the Mathis House, Tea and Scones with the Easter Bunny at the Historic Mathis House in Downtown Toms River, Protect Your Home from Ticks with Yard Guard from Viking Pest, Firefighters Come To Kitty's Rescue In Brick, See Latest Pets Up For Adoption At Toms River Area Shelters. [11] On May 12, 2006, Prosecutor Thomas F. Kelaher declined to retry the death-penalty phase of the case, citing as reasons the difficulty in presenting evidence more than 20 years after the crime, and the probability of many more legal appeals should Marshall be sentenced to death again. Churchill said he asked. However, NeighborhoodScout analyzed all cities and towns in America with a similar population size to Toms River, and we found that the crime rate in Toms River is one of the lowest in the nation for its size. Where is 2022 data? Madonna, who was the Lucchese family acting boss, and DiNapoli were indicted in 2010 for racketeering, leading an organized New Jersey-based crime ring and other crimes by a state grand jury as part of "Operation Heat," according to the New Jersey attorney general's office. [7][12] With resentencing pending, Marshall faced a minimum of 30 years in prison (in which case he would have been released in 2014) and a maximum of life in prison with no possibility for release on parole before serving 30 years. https://ocponj.gov/accreditation-assessment-team-invites-public-comment/, MONROE TOWNSHIP MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER The jury decided Milne sexually assaulted Harrison and killed her to cover up his crime. 70 Crash Investigation Closes Lanes Friday Morning: DOT, Toms River Schools Hit With $14.4M State Aid Cut For 2023-24, NJ Camp Fairs at Menlo Park Mall Mar 4, 2023 - FREE to Attend (12-3PM), Raisin, The Tony-Winning Best Musical - Second Incredible Week, Un Lucky Charms Murder Mystery Dinner Show, Green Tea Matcha and Sushi Dinner Party at the Historic Mathis House, Filipino Dinner Night with Live Music at the Mathis House, Tea and Scones with the Easter Bunny at the Historic Mathis House in Downtown Toms River, Protect Your Home from Ticks with Yard Guard from Viking Pest, Firefighters Come To Kitty's Rescue In Brick, See Latest Pets Up For Adoption At Toms River Area Shelters. Chris Marshall, the middle son, confirmed his father's death on Monday, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press. FATAL TOMS RIVER TOWNSHIP STRUCTURE FIRE RULED ACCIDENTAL: VICTIM IDENTIFIED February 18, 2023 TOMS RIVER WOMAN INDICTED FOR TWO COUNTS EACH OF VEHICULAR HOMICIDE, STRICT LIABILITY VEHICULAR HOMICIDE AND ASSAULT BY AUTO February 16, 2023 ISLAND HEIGHTS POLICE DETECTIVE CHARGED WITH FALSE REPORT, CONTEMPT & WEAPON OFFENSES February 14, 2023 Richard O'Connor, 63, Staten Island, N.Y. Robert Camilli, 60, Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. It turned out Marshall hired two gunmen to kill his wife so he could collect a $1.5 million insurance policy. Trying to reconcile the two Robert Marshalls he knew left Chris Marshall feeling introspective and at times pensive over what was, what was lost and what will never be. Dead End at Toms River: A Bizarre Murder Mystery In Philadelphia Magazine (1970-1980), Uncategorized on February 2, 2011 at 9:41 am A BLOODY INQUEST INTO THE MUTILATION CAPITAL OF THE COUNTRY By Maury Z. Harrison sat across the large art table from me that year and we were all in shock to learn she had been murdered and her body dumped in Goose Creek along Fischer Boulevard. Thompson, who had lost quite a bit of hair since his New Jersey trial, was wearing a baseball cap, jeans, sneakers and a T-shirt advertising auto parts, Churchill said. On the night of September 7, 1984, insurance broker Marshall and his wife, Maria, were traveling home from Atlantic City, New Jersey capital murder for the murder-for-hire on March 5, 1986 and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Robert O. Marshall, 75, formerly of Toms River, who was also known as Prisoner No. It was adapted into an Emmy-nominated 1990 TV miniseries of the same name starring Robert Urich as Marshall and Joanna Kerns as Maria. He had been scheduled for a parole hearing in March. The investigation further revealed that several household items were used by Ms. Carbone in the commission of the homicide; specifically, a wooden board, a heavy duty tape dispenser, and a shower curtain rod were recovered from the scene. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Having worked his way up the ranks of the Toms River Police Department, Mastronardy was named Chief of the Department in November 1992. 18,000 local law enforcement agencies in the U.S. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 119 Hooper Avenue On the night of September 7, 1984, Robert O. Marshall of Toms River, New Jersey, an insurance broker and chairman of the Ocean County Chapter of the United Way fund, and his wife Maria were traveling north on the Garden State Parkway from Harrah's in Atlantic City when, according to Marshall, he felt a vibration in one of the car's tires. Carbone was also indicted on three counts of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose in violation of N.J.S.A. Insurance mogul plots murder, 1984 Returning from Atlantic City to their home in Toms River on Sept. 7, 1984, prominent insurance agent Robert O. Marshall and his wife Maria pulled over to a. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on October 28, 2021, Mary Carbone, 57, of Toms River, was indicted by a Grand Jury sitting in Ocean County on the charge of Murder in violation of N.J.S.A. On August 18, 2006, Marshall was resentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in eight years. The case spawned a best-selling book, "Blind Faith," and a subsequent TV movie of the same name. He died in South Woods State Prison on February 21, 2015. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutors Office Major Crime Unit, Manchester Township Police Detective Bureau, and Ocean County Sheriffs Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, revealed that Carbone and Stochel both resided at the 6th Avenue residence in Manchester. 2020 TomsRiver.org All Rights Reserved. Click Here. Robert O. Marshall, 75, the "Blind Faith" killer, who was convicted of arranging the murder of his wife, Maria, in 1984, has died, according to his son. He thought she was getting ready to file for divorce because he was dating Saraan Kraushaar, the vice principal at Pinelands Regional High School. https://ocponj.gov/toms-river-man-indicted-on-two-counts-of-murder/, OCEAN COUNTY LAUNCHES SPECIAL NEEDS REGISTRY Clothed. Overview. The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Toms River is 1,091 to 1. The case attracted the attention of true crime author Joe McGinniss, whose bestselling book on the Marshall case, Blind Faith, was published in 1989. He threw the gun off a bridge and he tossed Maria Marshalls purse onto the side of the road on the Garden State Parkway. The case became nationally known in part because of the Joe McGuinniss best-seller Blind Faith and the television miniseries that came out based on the book. The victims are all women and have all slept with him except for one, and that . "Due to (federal) HIPAA regulations, we cannot provide a cause of death, although certainly no foul play is suspected," Schuman said. Enjoy the Best of Toms River Restaurants and Local Dining. According to our analysis of FBI crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of crime in Toms River is 1 in 105. Coronato explained that Kelly told the jury that Robert Marshall had never picked up the cremated remains of his wife, which were left in a cardboard box at a Toms River funeral home. Here's a full list of the Luchese family members indicted Wednesday: La Cosa Nostra operates through entities known as families. In the New York City area, those families include the Genovese, Gambino, Luchese, Bonanno, Colombo and Decavalcante families, according to federal prosecutors. Date(s) & Update Frequency: The main reason for Thompsons acquittal in the Maria Marshall murder was an alibi sworn testimony from three family members that Thompson was in Louisiana on Sept. 7, 1984. Thompson, now in his 70s, acknowledged his role while incarcerated at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola for his part in an unrelated armored-car robbery and the attempted murder of a Shreveport police officer years later. All defendants in crime reports are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Madonna and DiNapoli have been serving prison sentences after pleading guilty to charges from "Operation Heat. Churchills interest was piqued and he said he chatted about every two months with Caddo Parish District Attorneys investigator Larry Scott about developments in the Louisiana case. When Robert O. Marshall, the Toms River insurance salesman who was convicted of the murder-for-hire of his wife, Maria, in 1984, died in prison this week, there were many people who shared memories -- of the case, of Maria, and of the couples three sons. according to a Daily News article from 1999. He did just that on Thursday, beginning with the photograph of Maria Marshall on his bulletin board. Their youngest brother John, who was 13 at the time, was never able to accept that truth. Key findings. (His sentence was commuted by Gov. Forecasters say the timing and . 203062, likely succumbed to complications from a debilitating stroke he suffered over the summer, according to. 203062, likely succumbed to complications from a debilitating stroke he suffered over the summer, according to officials familiar with his health issues. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Find fun things to do in Toms River, NJ 9:10. The indictment covers actions by the Luchese family committed between 2000 until May of this year, federal prosecutors said, but many of those indicted were long-time members of the mafia. https://abc7ny.com/nj-state-trooper-shot-in-paterson;-1-suspect-in-custody/12902639/, An intoxicated driver was believed responsible for a horrific crash predawn crash Monday involving an SUV and a garbage truck on westbound Route 80 in Bergen County. We will never forget. 8,376,755. Marshall said he does feel cheated that his father could not bring himself, in the face of his own mortality, to accept responsibility for what he had done to his family. Nineteen members of the Lucchese crime family were indicted Wednesday and will face charges for various crimes such as murder, extortion, money laundering and the importation and distribution of contraband, according to a federal indictment from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Gardens Of Pleasant Plains / Homestead Run. Please check out our social media channels. McKinnon, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy, testified that Marshall hired him to kill his wife and that he and Thompson drove ahead of Marshalls Cadillac Eldorado to the Oyster Creek Picnic area off the Garden State Parkway on Sept. 7, 1984, where Thompson, he said, shot and killed Maria Marshall. He wasnt handcuffed or shackled. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Toms River. "The emotional range is from relief to sadness and mourning, this person who is your father is gone. [7][10] In 2002, he wrote the book Tunnel Vision: Trial & Error, in which he challenged the conclusions McGinniss drew in Blind Faith.