On August 18, 2006, Marshall was resentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in eight years. 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. He thought she was getting ready to file for divorce because he was dating Saraan Kraushaar, the vice principal at Pinelands Regional High School. Retired Newark Police Officer John W Mabie pleads not guilty to murdering his 22-year-old granddaughter Natalie Gingerelli in front of witnesses, then crossing street to shoot his Toms River, NJ . The prime suspect in the shooting is veteran Seaside Heights police officer Edward Lutz. In December of 2016, teenager Sarah Stern went missing. Crime, My Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Marshal Dies at 75: Convicted in, "THE REGION: Woman, 44, Slain At Parkway Stop", "THE REGION: 2 Suspects Seized In Jersey Slaying", "Ex-mistress Says Marshall Wanted To 'Get Rid Of' Wife", "Tracey Gold Is Expecting Her Fourth Son", "New Sentencing Hearing for Death Row Inmate Who Hired Wife's Killer", "Legal Saga Ends for Man Who Hired Wife's Killer", "Two Sons Fight to Keep Father Who Murdered Their Mom Behind Bars", "Robert O. Marshall, Convicted in Murder-for-Hire of Wife, Dies After 30 Years in Prison", "Maintaining innocence, a final chapter for Robert Marshall in prison", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_O._Marshall&oldid=1133474370, This page was last edited on 14 January 2023, at 00:16. Discuss Toms River, New Jersey (NJ) on our hugely popular New Jersey forum. One month away from potential freedom after more than 30 years behind bars, the man who orchestrated the most notorious murder in the history of Ocean County has died of natural causes. Since the day after Marshalls conviction 28 years ago, Jim Churchill, then a lieutenant in the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, said he has kept a 4-by-4-inch photograph of Maria Marshall with him wherever he goes, sometimes on a bulletin board, or on his desk, but never very far away a daily reminder to him and so many others that the case wasnt really closed. Each family operates through groups of individuals known as crews and regimes. Each crew has as its leader, a person known as a caporegime, capo, captain or skipper, who is responsible for supervising the criminal activities of his crew and providing soldiers and associates with support and protection. Upon arrival, Officers found the lifeless body of Mr. Stochel lying on the floor of the residence. While returning home from a night out at Harrah's casino in Atlantic City that night, the Marshalls stopped at the picnic area after Robert Marshall pretended there was a problem with the right rear tire on their 1980 Cadillac Eldorado. No portions of this website may be reproduced, retransmitted, copied, or republished without expressed written consent from Shore News Media & Marketing, LLC. He was eligible for parole at the time of his death Saturday and the state Parole Board seemed poised to grant him his last request due to his failing health. Toms River has an overall crime rate of 10 per 1,000 residents, making the crime rate here near the average for all cities and towns of all sizes in America. We will never forget. The event was eventually turned into a book and 1990 miniseries called Blind Faith. TOMS RIVER - At dinner last week, Chris and Roby Marshall grappled with the unthinkable: Their father actually might be paroled from jail in the murder of their mother. 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. McKinnon pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy and was sentenced to five years in prison (he served one). But it is not the only murder case from Ocean County that has garnered national headlines. 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. [4] Until his removal from New Jersey's death row, Marshall had been the longest-serving inmate there since the state reinstated the death penalty in 1982. Occasionally the inmate elaborated on his answers, talking about details that corroborated what McKinnon had told investigators three decades ago, Churchill said. He died in South Woods State Prison on February 21, 2015. Steven Crea Sr., who was the underboss; DiNapoli, the consiglieri and Madonna had long careers in the Luchese family, spanning decades, according to law enforcement officials. 2020 TomsRiver.org All Rights Reserved. He claimed that when he and his wife pulled over at the Oyster Creek picnic area in Lacey Township (which was closed at the time), he noticed the right rear tire was flat. Recommended Stories. https://ocponj.gov/accreditation-assessment-team-invites-public-comment/, MONROE TOWNSHIP MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER The case attracted the attention of true crime author Joe McGinniss, whose bestselling book on the Marshall case, Blind Faith, was published in 1989. [6], Marshall was convicted of capital murder for the murder-for-hire on March 5, 1986 and sentenced to death by lethal injection. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. To make the crime look like a robbery, Robert Marshall had himself struck on the head and knocked unconscious as he was ostensibly checking the tire. After a two-week trial in Louisiana, a jury found no liability on the part of the lawmen. Use at your own risk. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. 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 Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, the victim of the homicide that occurred at has been identified as Nymere Tinsley, 25 . All the trademarks displayed on this page are the property of Location, Inc. Murder Mystery Totally 80s Dinner Theater at the Historic Mathis House. https://ocponj.gov/toms-river-man-indicted-on-two-counts-of-murder/, OCEAN COUNTY LAUNCHES SPECIAL NEEDS REGISTRY How would he like to sit in on an interview Louisiana officials were planning to hold with an informant Churchill had used decades ago in the Marshall case? 2023 Compare Cities Crime: Toms River, NJ vs Little Falls, NJ Change Cities. Two years after the trial, Thompson sued Churchill, another investigator and then-Prosecutor Edward Turnbach for $50 million for wrongful prosecution. https://ocponj.gov/ocean-county-launches-special-needs-registry/, Find fun things to do in Toms River, NJ Originally sentenced to death, in 2006, Marshall was resentenced to life in prison, with eligibility for parole in 2014. All rights reserved (About Us). Shawn Milne, who will be released from prison Nov. 14 after serving a 30 year sentence for the 1985 murder and rape of 13-year-old Barbara Harrison. He's no longer a drain on anyone.". admin commented on Get the Latest News & Alerts from the Toms River Police Department. One's chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime here is one in 1326, which is a violent crime rate of 1 per one thousand inhabitants. He testified that he was hired by Marshall to kill his wife and that he and the gunman, Larry Thompson, had lain in wait for the Marshalls at the rest stop, where Thompson had committed the murder. In the summer of 1984, Marshall had arranged the execution of his wife and the mother of his three sons, Maria Marshall, in an elaborate murder-for-hire scheme. 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. 9:10. Fifteen of the defendants charged were taken into custody on Wednesday. It was adapted into an Emmy-nominated 1990 TV miniseries of the same name starring Robert Urich as Marshall and Joanna Kerns as Maria. Toms River crime rates are 42% lower than the national average Violent crimes in Toms River are 84% lower than the national average In Toms River you have a 1 in 68 chance of becoming a victim of crime Toms River is safer than 71% of the cities in the United States. On his Facebook page this weekend, Christopher Marshall posted a quote from the 2005 novel The Zahir by author Paulo Coelho. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Rest in peace, sir. 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. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Marshall and his wife were on the outs. The 2019 crime rate in Toms River, NJ is 87 (City-Data.com crime index), which is 3.1 times lower than the U.S. average. It turned out, it was he who strangled the teenager and stole a safe from her home. 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. Robert Marshall, a Toms River resident, and his wife Maria were heading home from a night in Atlantic City at Harrahs casino when Marshall decided to make a pit stop to check what he claimed to police officers was a vibration in one of his car tires. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Meghan ONeill who is handling the case on behalf of the State, as well as the Ocean County Prosecutors Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutors Office High Tech Crimes Unit, Ocean County Prosecutors Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, Manchester Township Police Department, Manchester Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriffs Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Toms River Township Police Department, Ocean County Medical Examiners Office, Santa Rosa County (Florida) Sheriffs Office Crime Scene Unit, Westchester County (New York) Police Department, and Oneida County (New York) Sheriffs Department, for their collective and cooperative assistance in this investigation resulting in todays indictment. The City-Data.com crime index weighs serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily. After a June 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision raised the standard for a defense lawyer's duty in death penalty cases, many standing death sentences began to be overturned. 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. This means Toms River is one of the safest places in America in which to live for its size, a very important finding. If you drive down Cook Road in Jackson, youll see an unassuming faded yellow farmhouse surrounded by newer homes and a large new residential development. Property Larry Thompson was sitting in a chair outside the wardens office waiting for them. (NJ Department of Corrections) NEW! 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. Authorities have charged a 39-year-old Toms River man with the shooting death of two men in a Lakewood apartment complex on Sunday morning. Now let us turn to take a look at how Toms River does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. https://nj.gov/njsp/memoriam/1930s/ignatz.shtml, New Jersey State Police Press Conference https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1MYxNgADAjoKw, Today we remember Trooper John Madden #383. The case spawned a best-selling book, "Blind Faith," and a subsequent TV movie of the same name. The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Toms River is 1,091 to 1. The 2019 Toms River crime rate fell by 5% compared to 2018. Discover your neighborhood's best match, anywhere. 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. Churchill said he left it to the middle son to give the information to his two other brothers. Michael Ritaccos name will always be synonymous with political corruption in Toms River. It turns out Ritacco was also taking bribes. 2C:11-3a(1), in connection with the shooting death of Javon Cutler which occurred in Toms River on October 11, 2020. Robert O. Marshall, 75, formerly of Toms River, who was also known as Prisoner No. After Maria's death, Marshall, a once prominent and respected Toms River insurance broker, planned to collect a $1.5 million payout on her life insurance policy and then be free to legitimize an extramarital affair. Cumber was convicted of being an accomplice to murder and sentenced to life in prison. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Marshall was involved in a 14-month affair with Sarann Kraushaar, a vice-principal at Pinelands Regional High School in Tuckerton, whom he told he wanted to "get rid of" his wife to use her insurance money to pay off his debt. In 1964, the body of a man who was set to testify against the mafia, Anthony Scanella was found in the woods in Jackson. Follow, The Official Twitter account of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office (Ocean County, New Jersey), ACCREDITATION ASSESSMENT TEAM INVITES PUBLIC COMMENT In 2002 Marshall wrote the book Tunnel Vision: Trial & Error, in which he challenged the conclusions McGinniss drew in Blind Faith. Ritacco, in perception, had brought the Toms River School District into a Golden Age by turning the district into a profitable business. The River Murders: Directed by Rich Cowan. 2C:11-3a(1), relative to the death of Frank Stochel in Manchester Township on February 24, 2020. Each day police blotters are filled with minor crimes, the rapidly increasing violent crime, and the also growing rate of gun violence and murder. "Jim was very helpful in sharing with us the intelligence information, background information as well as trial information," said Caddo Parish District Attorney Charles Rex Scott. Save Murder Mystery Totally 80s Dinner Theater at the Historic Mathis House to your collection. It adjusts for the number of visitors and daily workers commuting into cities. The couple pulled into the Oyster Creek service area in Lacey Township. "Match Any Neighborhood" calculates the Match Level of one neighborhood to another using more than 200 characteristics of each neighborhood. Whenever Thompsons name came up, Churchill said, he told Scott, "If you hear anything about Maria Marshall, Id love to talk to this guy.". TOMS RIVER, NJ - The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office today officially identified the three victims of Saturday night's fatal shooting at a Silverton hookah lounge. Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato said Monday that he too is troubled by the fact that Marshall was incapable of acknowledging his complicity in the case. According to the New Jersey Sex Offender registry, Milne now lives in an apartment building in North Arlington. Refresh the page for updates. 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 being the triggerman in the infamous murder-for-hire death of Toms River socialite Maria Marshall in September 1984, authorities said. In Toms River you have a 1 in 88 chance of becoming a victim of crime. Churchill asked whether he presented an alibi from people he knew were lying. Steven "Wonder Boy" Crea Sr., 69, of Crestwood, N.Y. Dominic "Dom" Truscello, 83, Staten Island, N.Y. John "Big John" Castelucci, 57, Staten Island, N.Y. Tindaro "Tino" Corso, 56, Staten Island, N.Y. James "Jimmy the Jew" Maffucci, 69, Manhattan, N.Y. Joseph "Big Joe," "Joey Glasses" Datello, 66, Staten Island, N.Y. Paul "Paulie Roast Beef" Cassano, 38, Yonkers, N.Y. Carmine "Spanish Carmine" Garcia, 65 Hawthorne. 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. Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy Michael G. brings 40 years of law enforcement experience to the Sheriff's Office. "For the past 30 years of my life, I have lived with the reality of having a parent who is a monster," said Chris Marshall on Monday. Follow, NJ State Police Public Information Unit-Further info on any updates, call 609-882-2000 X6516 or after hours and weekends, X7833, Today we remember Trooper Peter W. Ignatz #530. Enjoy the Best of Toms River Restaurants and Local Dining. 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. #dailyvoice #cliffviewpilot #garbagetruck #route80 #NJSP https://dailyvoice.com/new-jersey/hackensack/news/dwi-suspected-in-horrific-route-80-crash-in-bergen-county/857634/#838, Ocean County Prosecutor's Office A week later, Churchill received another signed affidavit. The body of mafioso Angelo Sonnessa was found buried beneath a chicken coup on the farm. 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.