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Jurors Resume Deliberations in Justin Marshall Murder Trial, Day 13By Vanessa Miller, Reporter
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Jurors deciding the fate of Iowa City murder suspect Justin Marshall are back at it this morning after failing to reach a verdict following a full day of deliberations Wednesday and part of Tuesday.
The 12-member jury – which includes six men and six women – ordered lunch in Wednesday to continue deliberations, and they asked just one question of attorneys late in the day. They wanted a more clear definition of what it means to commit a crime through joint criminal conduct. During jury instructions, the judge said jurors could find Marshall guilty of first-degree murder if they find that he committed the act through joint criminal conduct – when two or more people act together to commit a public offense. The defense initially objected to that instruction and maintained their objection Wednesday. Following the jury question, the judge instructed jurors that they have all the information they need in the jury instructions if they reread them closely. Jurors resumed deliberations at 9 a.m. Thursday. Marshall, 22, is accused in the shooting death of John Versypt, 64, of Cordova, Ill. According to police, Versypt was a landlord for units in the Broadway Condominium complex, and he was checking on his properties when he was fatally shot during an attempted robbery on Oct. 8, 2009. Marshall was among three people arrested in the killing. Charles Thompson, 20, was first in February 2010, followed by Marshall in July 2011 and then Courtney White, 25, in October 2011. All three men were charged with first-degree murder, but Thompson’s case ended in a mistrial and he subsequently pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for his testimony against Marshall. Most Popular |
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