American Homicide - S1: E16 – Murder on the Parkway, Part 1

Episode Date: February 6, 2025

A night of gambling in Atlantic City ends in tragedy for Robert and Maria Marshall when they are attacked at a desolate rest stop. Robert is left injured and disoriented while Maria is fatally shot. T...he disturbing investigation would rip their family into two.  Reach out to the American Homicide team by emailing us: AmericanHomicidePod@gmail.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 He was a Boy Scout leader, a husband, a father. But he was leading a double life. He was a monster, hiding in plain sight. Journey inside the mind of one of history's most notorious killers, BTK. Through the voices of the people who know him best. Listen to Monster BTK on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Starting point is 00:00:30 Calling all Yellowstone fans. Let's go to work. Join Bobby Bones on the official Yellowstone podcast for exclusive cast interviews, behind the scenes insights, and a deep dive into the themes that have made Yellowstone a cultural phenomenon.
Starting point is 00:00:48 Our family legacy is this ranch. And I protect it with my life. Listen to the official Yellowstone podcast now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. To have a murder as gruesome as Jade Beasley's doesn't happen very often down here. In Marion, Illinois, an 11-year-old girl brutally stabbed to death.
Starting point is 00:01:09 Her father's longtime live-in girlfriend maintaining innocence, but charged with her murder. I am confident that Julie Begley is guilty. They've never found a weapon. Never made sense. Still doesn't make sense. She found out she was pregnant in jail. The person who did it is still out there. Listen to Murder on Songbird Road on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:01:36 A wealthy couple spent an evening gambling in Atlantic City, but found trouble on their way home. There was a problem with his tire. He stopped at a rest stop, and then he was knocked out from behind, and his wife was shot twice in the back and died almost immediately. The mystery over what happened led investigators to a telephone some 1,400 miles away.
Starting point is 00:02:01 They had no motive. They had no opportunity. They had no money trail. They only had those slung calls. Today, we're in New Jersey for part one of Murder on the Parkway. I'm Sloane Glass, and this is American Homicide. And just a warning that what you're about to hear is graphic. Please take care while listening.
Starting point is 00:02:25 When New Jersey legalized gambling in the late 70s, Atlantic City came roaring back to life. By the 80s, it was the East Coast version of Las Vegas. And for locals like Robert and Maria Marshall, it was where they went for their weekly date night. She liked Atlantic City. She liked going out to dinner there. They had friends down there. Jim Churchill investigated major crimes for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.
Starting point is 00:02:54 They knew the chef down there where they went, and he would come out and make a big fuss over her and him. Maria and Robert were a popular couple who many called Barbie and Ken. Maria was a stunning blonde. They were high school sweethearts. The two were a 1980s version of a power couple. I suppose it would be an ideal American family. Robert was a successful insurance salesman.
Starting point is 00:03:20 In 1984, he sold more than $50 million worth of insurance. That afforded the Marshalls a lavish lifestyle, filled with expensive cars, a boat, and a fancy house in the New Jersey suburb of Tom's River. They were members of the Tom's River Country Club. Most of their social life surrounded that particular place. They had three boys who were very active in swimming and tennis and stuff like that at the country club. Maria was known as the mom of the swim team. At every swim meet you'd find her and Robert cheering on
Starting point is 00:03:55 their kids in the stands. The couple made family time a priority. As a matter of fact they used to take off every Friday to be with the family. And many people at the country club admired him for that and other things. On the night of September 6, 1984, Robert and Maria had dinner and drinks in Atlantic City. Afterwards, they played some blackjack and called it a night just before midnight. It was a school night, so she said she had to be home early because the kids had to get ready for school the next morning.
Starting point is 00:04:30 Maria always treated her boys to pancakes for breakfast. And since it was a Thursday night, she had to be up early the next morning. So Robert cashed out his Blackjack winnings and the two headed home. It was a short drive, maybe an hour or so from Thomas River. As their Cadillac headed north on the Garden State Parkway, Maria slid off her shoes and earrings and laid back in her seat to get a little sleep. But Robert was concerned with how his Cadillac was handling the road. He was having trouble with the tire almost immediately when he left Atlantic City. But it got
Starting point is 00:05:07 progressively worse as he came up the area. It was a 45 mile drive from Atlantic City to Tom's River. And Robert tried his best to make it all the way home. But the tire had other plans. The faster he drove, the more
Starting point is 00:05:21 it would shimmy and weave. He thought it might been a slow leak, but he had to pull off and see what it was. Robert's exit was still 15 miles away when he decided to pull over at the Oyster Creek Picnic Area. Back in the 1980s, these picnic areas along highways were popular for travelers who needed a place to stop, stretch their legs, and use the restroom. The only problem with the Oyster Creek picnic area was that it was tucked among a bunch of trees.
Starting point is 00:05:54 It was very dark. There was no lights. The only thing there is a center block building that has restrooms in it. The only light in that area is about 300 yards down where the rest area is. They pulled in there to check on the tire, went to the back, told his wife to pop the trunk from the glove compartment inside the Cadillac. There's a switch you can hit and it pops the trunk in the back.
Starting point is 00:06:24 The light from the trunk lit up the nearly pitch black picnic area. As Robert bent down to examine the rear passenger tire, he noticed another car pull in behind them. Seconds later, someone hit Robert over the head and he fell to the ground. Next thing you knew, he was waking up from being hit on the head, unconscious. Robert felt woozy. His head was pounding, and a warm stream of blood ran from his forehead and down his cheek. He managed to get back on his feet, put his hands into the pockets of his tan khaki pants, and found them empty.
Starting point is 00:07:00 His wallet and the two grand he won from playing blackjack were gone. One thing ran through his mind. Somebody must have followed him from Atlantic City and did this. That's when Robert ran towards the front of his Cadillac to check on Maria. Mrs. Marshall was found in the front seat of the car. She died of two gunshot wounds to the back that eventually hit her heart. Robert's wife of 20 years was gone. He cried out into the darkness for help, but there was no one around. He then ran out to the parkway, flagged down a couple of people who were coming back from Atlantic City and they got help.
Starting point is 00:07:46 My name is Dan Mahoney and I was an investigator with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit. In the early morning hours of September 7th, 1984, Dan Mahoney responded to the picnic area. We got a call that there was a homicide, robbery, homicide that location. And there was one victim. Mrs. Marshall had been shot twice. The two wounds were almost on top of each other. She wasn't giving any resistance.
Starting point is 00:08:15 She wasn't fighting. She probably never knew what happened. The killer executed Maria with a.45. They took her purse, but her gold jewelry and wedding ring were left untouched, which is odd. So whoever did this seemed to be after their cash, and they picked the perfect place for the crime. There was no restaurants, gas stations, or anything like that.
Starting point is 00:08:41 It was secluded. It was secluded. It was about, I'd say, two miles from the large arrest area. Detectives found a pool of blood at the rear of the car where Robert Marshall fell after being hit on the head. The gash on his head required a handful of stitches at a local hospital. He was released around sunrise and immediately met with the police. He wanted to know who killed his wife.
Starting point is 00:09:06 He wanted us to get to the bottom of this tragedy. The investigation took off from there. We had a lot of questions, and most of them had to be answered by Mr. Marshall. When did he plan to go to Atlantic City? Did he see anybody down there that he knew? Did he think he was being followed? Were you robbed or are you missing anything?
Starting point is 00:09:24 Robert told the police that he left Atlantic City with $2,000 and explained how the tire was acting up on their way home. And I guess when he got out to take a look at the tire, he was attacked. He lost consciousness, I believe. Robert told police he remembered a dark-colored sedan pulled in behind him at the rest stop, but he didn't think anything of it. He thought the driver had either pulled in to take a nap or had stopped to help him with his tire. I believe it was the passenger rear that was flat and it looked like it suffered damage to the wall of the tire, not the tread, like a nail would do, or you picked up a piece of debris on the road and cut the tire.
Starting point is 00:10:09 This was on the side of the tire. By the end of the weekend, Robert had hired a top-notch investigator from nearby Philadelphia and offered a $10,000 reward for information related to his wife's murder. To me, it's always been about the victim. The victim needs justice. I know you've heard it before, but they can't speak for themselves. While Maria Marshall could not talk, the private investigator she had hired that summer would be the first to talk with detectives.
Starting point is 00:10:41 detectives. He was a Boy Scout leader, a church deacon, a husband, a father. He went to a local church. He was going to the grocery store with us. He was the guy next door. But he was leading a double life. He was certainly a peeping Tom, looking through the windows, looking at people, fantasizing about what he could do. He then began entering the houses. He could get into their home, take something,
Starting point is 00:11:13 and get out and not be caught. He felt very powerful. He was a monster, hiding in plain sight. Someone killed four members of a family. It just didn't happen here. Journey inside the mind of one of history's most notorious killers, BTK, through the voices of the people who know him best. Listen to Monster BTK on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
Starting point is 00:11:42 or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. The ones who got to run this Valley time remind them. Yellowstone fans step into the Yellowstone universe. Our family legacy is this ranch. I protect my life. Hosted by Bobby bones, the official Yellowstone podcast takes you deeper into the franchise that's captivated millions worldwide. Action!
Starting point is 00:12:09 Explore untold behind-the-scenes stories, exclusive cast interviews, and in-depth discussions about the themes and legacy of Yellowstone. You know the first stunt is to settle this valley fight and it was all they knew. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the ranch, welcome to the Yellowstone. Bobby Bones has everything you need to stay connected to the Yellowstone phenomenon. I look forward to it. Listen to the official Yellowstone podcast now
Starting point is 00:12:37 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's go to war. There was big news. I mean, white girl gets murdered, found in a cemetery, big, big news. When a young woman is murdered, a desperate search for answers takes investigators to some unexpected places. He believed it could be part of a satanic cult.
Starting point is 00:13:01 I think there were many individuals present. I don't know who pulled the trigger. A long investigation stalls until someone changes their story. I like saw what happened. An arrest, trial and conviction soon follow. He just saw his body just kind of collapsing. Two decades later, a new team of lawyers says their client is innocent.
Starting point is 00:13:26 He did not kill her. There's no way. Is the real killer rightly behind bars or still walking free? Are you capable of murder? I definitely am not. Did you kill her? Listen to The Real Killer, Season 3 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:13:49 The newspaper headline said it all. Woman slain at rest area on New Jersey Parkway. That woman was a 42-year-old mother of three named Maria Marshall. She was a wonderful, wonderful person that everybody loved. I mean, everybody was shocked. Maria's friend, Linda Fenwick, heard the tragic news from her son. I remember standing by the refrigerator and he said,
Starting point is 00:14:12 guess what happened, mom? Linda was shocked to hear her friend and carpool partner had been murdered. Our children went to swim camp in the middle of Pennsylvania and we would drive back and forth. I would drive one way, she would drive the other way. There were meets several times a week and we always went to their house afterwards because they always entertained the team. The Marshalls would videotape the swim meets and then host the team for a viewing party where Maria would serve pizza,
Starting point is 00:14:39 which is why they called her the mom of the swim team. The center of her world were her boys. It was no doubt about it. They were the center of her world. Everything revolved around them and swimming. Nearly all of Tom's River showed up at Maria's funeral to support the three Marshall boys and Maria's husband, Robert. He had a bandage on the back of his head and he was crying the whole way down the aisle
Starting point is 00:15:05 and everybody was sympathizing with him. It was very difficult for everybody that knew them well, you know, that this could have happened to Maria because she was such a kind person. You know, nobody quite could get a handle on was it for money, why would you do that? A few days after the murder, investigators were still looking for suspects and a motive. It just didn't make sense. Dan Mahoney investigated. Well, if you're robbing, why incapacitate Mr. Marshall with a bump on the head
Starting point is 00:15:41 and then shoot Mrs. Marshall twice, who was not resisting. And so I think the main thing was to speak to Mr. Marshall. With Robert Marshall's help, law enforcement recreated the events of that night. He told us that it was a celebration to go to Atlantic City. They had a dinner at a certain restaurant that he always went to, he liked. He was driving back, felt that there was something wrong with the way the car was performing. The way he could make it to the rest area, we pulled over just to take a look at it and he suffered a blow to the head.
Starting point is 00:16:16 Investigators focused on the Marshall's rear tire and the picnic area Robert pulled into. It really didn't make sense to me to stop there if you have entire trouble. Anybody who didn't frequent Atlantic City would know that rest area and know it's dark. And you wouldn't get any light or any help or people that pull off the road to try to help you. If you needed help, you would pull off to the side and put your flashers on. Robert said he had a family friend who was struck and killed while changing a tire on the shoulder. So he chose the picnic area because he believed
Starting point is 00:16:51 it was the safest place to pull over. But then there was the tire itself. The inspection of the tire was sort of a turning point for us. In the daylight, detectives noticed that the rear tire of Robert Marshall's Cadillac wasn't just an ordinary flat. The tire had been cut, I think it was about an inch, maybe an inch and a half on the tire wall, the side of the tire.
Starting point is 00:17:16 Investigators believed the tire was intentionally slashed. That sort of gave us a direction to go because you could not drive that car with that amount of damage to that tire for any length of time. If the tire was intentionally slashed, did it happen before they left the casino? Or was something else going on here? It was totally dark, so it didn't make sense to me to pull in there. It didn't make sense to me that somebody happened to be in there. A crime of opportunity at that time in the morning in that desolated area.
Starting point is 00:17:55 It just didn't make sense. And then investigators were surprised when a private detective that Maria Marshall hired came forward. I spoke with him about two days after the homicide was discovered. Lieutenant Jim Churchill learned Maria hired a PI to look into her husband's supposed extracurricular activities. She hired a private investigator to follow Marshall on two separate occasions, once in the spring, once during the beginning of the summer of 1984.
Starting point is 00:18:31 During the course of the investigation, we found out that he was carrying on an affair with a woman who was in their social circle, and the private investigator reported that he had seen Mr. Marshall and had photographs of he and her together in the motel rooms. A vice principal at the local high school named Saran Crashour was the other woman in Robert Marshall's life. I'm not sure how she found out, but I know that she hired a private investigator to follow him. Maria's friend, Linda Fenwick, was shocked when she heard Robert had been cheating on Maria. I mean, nobody would ever have suspected there was a problem in that marriage.
Starting point is 00:19:12 The relationship between the two of them seemed perfect to me. At the time, Saran was a member of the same country club as the Marshalls. In fact, they all played tennis together. Saran and her husband were tennis partners with Robert and Maria Marshall. I didn't know Saran. She was at an unhappy marriage, and apparently he was, too.
Starting point is 00:19:35 The police learned Maria planned to confront Robert about the affair and seek a divorce. But she kept stalling. After we heard from the private investigator that brought Ms. Crosshauer into the arena here, we thought possibly maybe she might have had something to do with it. So we stopped her on her way to work. Lieutenant Jim Churchill brought Saran in for questioning.
Starting point is 00:20:03 She wasn't happy about the relationship she had with Marshall, but she didn't apologize to us or give us a feeling she was sorry for. She didn't like the idea that she had put herself in the position she was in. Saran told the detective she and Robert had been sleeping together for 14 months. The two had plans to rent a home together and leave their spouses. And the affair was no secret to Maria because she found a phone bill
Starting point is 00:20:32 with a series of calls from Robert to the high school where Saran worked. But I think she was most concerned that we thought she had some part in this. A look into Robert Marshall's phone records confirmed what Sarand told them. But something in those phone records jumped out. Certain numbers caught our eye because they were to a hardware store in a place called Bossier City, which is right across the Red River from Shreveport.
Starting point is 00:21:05 Shreveport, as in Shreveport, Louisiana. The police found more than 30 phone calls from Robert Marshall to that number. So why was Robert calling a hardware store some 1400 miles away? I asked that the local police department down there go and interview anybody who could give us information on Robert Marshall and they came back to me and said that a clerk who worked in the store retired from the US Air Force said that he met Marshall at a party during the beginning of the summer of 1984. Police learned that during that party in May of 1984,
Starting point is 00:21:48 the hardware store clerk named Bobby Cumber spent the night talking with Maria and Robert. He was even spotted dancing with Maria. And after that party is when all the phone calls began. So we're trying to find out why these calls were made. Most suspiciously the final phone call between Robert Marshall and Bobby Cumber occurred just before Maria's murder and investigators wanted to know more about the relationship between Bobby Cumber and the Marshals. So Cumber now became a
Starting point is 00:22:24 person of interest also. That night of dancing with Maria Marshall would forever change the life of Bobby Cumber. He was a Boy Scout leader, a church deacon, a husband, a father. He went to a local church. He was going to the grocery store with us. He was the guy next door.
Starting point is 00:22:49 But he was leading a double life. He was certainly a peeping Tom, looking through the windows, looking at people, fantasizing about what he could do. He then began entering the houses. He could get into their home, take something, and get out and not be caught. He felt very powerful. He was a monster, hiding in plain sight.
Starting point is 00:23:11 Someone killed four members of a family. It just didn't happen here. Journey inside the mind of one of history's most notorious killers, BTK, through the voices of the people who know him best listen to monster BTK on the I heart radio Apple podcast or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Yellowstone fans, step into the Yellowstone universe. Our family legacy is this ranch.
Starting point is 00:23:46 And I protect it with my life. Hosted by Bobby Bones, the official Yellowstone podcast takes you deeper into the franchise that's captivated millions worldwide. Action! Explore untold behind-the-scenes stories, exclusive cast interviews, and in-depth discussions about the themes and legacy of Yellowstone. You know, the first stunt is to settle this valley fight and it was all they knew. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the ranch,
Starting point is 00:24:16 Welcome to the Yellowstone. Bobby Bones has everything you need to stay connected to the Yellowstone phenomenon. I look forward to it. Listen to the official Yellowstone podcast now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's go to work. It was big news.
Starting point is 00:24:37 I mean, white girl gets murdered, found in a cemetery, big, big news. When a young woman is murdered, a desperate search for answers takes investigators to some unexpected places. He believed it could be part of a satanic cult. I think there were many individuals present. I don't know who pulled the trigger. A long investigation stalls until someone changes their story.
Starting point is 00:25:01 I like saw what happened. An arrest, trial and conviction soon follow. He just saw his body just kind of collapsing. Two decades later, a new team of lawyers says their client is innocent. He did not kill her. There's no way. Is the real killer rightly behind bars or still walking free? Are you capable of murder? I definitely am
Starting point is 00:25:25 not. Did you kill her? Listen to The Real Killer Season 3 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In the early morning hours of September 7th, 1984, Maria Marshall was murdered at a rest stop along the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey. Police learned her husband Robert was cheating on her. They also found a bunch of phone calls from Robert to a man named Bobby Cumber. Bobby worked at a hardware store in Louisiana. Within two weeks of the murder, the police glommed onto the Louisiana connection by the phone calls. Journalist Judy Peet covered the story. There were 31 calls between Marshall and Bobby Cumber, which is what the police found almost immediately. 47-year-old Bobby Cumber answered the phone
Starting point is 00:26:25 at that small Louisiana hardware store. Bobby, at the time, was living in Louisiana, even though Bobby was originally from New Jersey. The soft-spoken Bobby confirmed to investigators that he met Robert Marshall during the summer of 1984. Bobby never knew Robert Marshall, really. He decided to go visit some family in North Jersey where they still live. And he ran into his high school girlfriend, who invited him to her daughter's graduation in Tom's River.
Starting point is 00:26:55 She happened to be the next door neighbor of Robert Marshall. At that party, Bobby Cumber noticed Robert was having a hard time getting a drink, so he flagged down the bartender. It sparked a conversation between Robert and Bobby that soon included Maria Marshall. He was stunned about how pretty Maria Marshall was, and he was very flattered that a big shot in his mind like Robert Marshall would pay attention to him at all. his mind like Robert Marshall, would pay attention to him at all. Robert Marshall was wealthy, well-dressed, and handsome. Whereas Bobby was a simple guy who enjoyed long drives in the country, banana splits, and bowling.
Starting point is 00:27:36 He was very flattered that a tie-in jacket kind of guy would pay attention to him, because Bobby was not a tie-in jacket kind of guy. At that party, Bobby Cummer and Robert and Maria Marshall spent that night talking. Bobby even hit the dance floor with Maria. "...but only fast dances. The Marshalls danced all the slow dances together." And that was the extent of his FaceTime with Robert and Maria. Bobby told investigators he never saw the Marshalls after that party. But he did talk with Robert by phone over the summer.
Starting point is 00:28:10 Marshall asked Bobby if he could find him a private detective, somebody to trace his wife. He thought she was cheating on him. Robert Marshall, who was cheating on Maria, said Tom's River was a small town and people talked. That's why he wanted a PI from out of town to look into Maria. There's a series of phone calls to Comber. Lieutenant Jim Churchill investigated.
Starting point is 00:28:40 During one of the phone calls, he asked him, is there somebody you know that can do an investigation? I have a very sensitive investigation that I want them done. I don't trust anybody in my area to do it. And Cumber, he tells him, there's a gentleman that comes into the store all the time that he knows is a former sheriff's officer, Billy Wayne McKinnon, and he knows that he does private investigations on the side. Billy Wayne was a deputy sheriff in Louisiana who resigned in the late 70s after he was
Starting point is 00:29:14 accused of stealing. He then sold used cars and did private detective work on the side. So Comber gets in touch with Billy Wayne and says, this is a guy in New Jersey who wants an investigation. We'd be interested. He said, well, yeah, it's going to cost him because I have to go up to New Jersey to do this all the way from Louisiana. Bobby Cumber said that was the extent of his dealings with
Starting point is 00:29:39 Billy Wayne and Robert Marshall, other than passing phone calls between the two. And these messages, they were always short and to the point, like, tell him to call me. He said at the time he had no idea really what was going on. Judy Peet covered the story. Well, the police hammered him. They were sure that he had something to do with it. And Bobby mostly cried and apparently shook through the entire 48 hours.
Starting point is 00:30:11 Police didn't believe that after 48 hours, they did arrest him for conspiracy. Two weeks after Maria Marshall was shot to death along the Garden State Parkway, Bobby Cumber was charged with conspiracy to commit her murder. At this time, we still didn't know who the shooter was. We didn't think it was Marshall. We didn't think it was Cumber. So it's either Billy Wayne McKinnon or somebody that we didn't know.
Starting point is 00:30:39 As Bobby Cumber sat in jail awaiting his trial and investigators were questioning Billy Wayne McKinnon, some mysterious news involving Robert Marshall surfaced. When we arrested Cumber, not too long after that, Marshall then goes to a motel, the same motel, I think the same room that he and Saran would go to on the rendezvous. Robert Marshall turned up at the same hotel room where he carried on his affair with Saran Crash Hour. But this time, Robert was alone. And while he's there, he takes a tape recorder and makes three separate tapes.
Starting point is 00:31:21 And he puts them in an envelope, and on the back of it it says only to be opened in the event of my death. These envelopes with the label to be opened in the event of my death concern the hotel staff. It's sitting in an outgoing mailbox that people can use as they go around. The police responded and went to Robert's hotel room, but he didn't answer the door. They forced entry and found him passed out next to a pile of pills and a can of coke. They woke Robert Marshall up, and he said he put sleeping pills into his drink and planned to take his own life. At the exact same time, Maria had been murdered. He said he put it in a Coke and swirled it around with his finger and licked his finger a couple of times and then he fell immediately asleep. And they took him to a local hospital
Starting point is 00:32:14 down there. So investigators got a search warrant to play those cassette tapes. They heard Robert freely admit to his affair with Saran. He also admitted to be massively in debt. Robert also said he believed he was a suspect in Maria's murder, but claimed he was innocent. He said, I love Maria, I couldn't have done this, that kind of stuff. There was another one in there that basically said that he was dealing with this private investigator from Louisiana
Starting point is 00:32:50 and he mentioned his name on the tape, Billy Wayne McKinnon. And he said he probably followed me and killed Maria because he had ripped me off for a lot of money. Robert admitted to paying thousands of dollars to Billy Wayne McKinnon to investigate Maria, including $800 on the night of her murder. Early part of October, Billy Wayne McKinnon, he was arrested, and we say, we want to play something for you. So we play the Marshall tape.
Starting point is 00:33:23 You're about to hear a recreation of the tape that Robert Marshall labeled to be opened in the event of my death. I felt compelled to hire somebody who I thought had a good reputation. This was a guy who came recommended by a fellow named Bob Cumber, supposed to be a very good investigator. He made two trips to New Jersey. One in June after I wired him $2,500. He said he was going to be busy for a while, but if I wired him additional money, he'd come back. I saw him the second time the evening Maria was killed. I gave him approximately $800. He said he would stay around a while, do a little checking.
Starting point is 00:34:07 I found out later that his only purpose was to rip me off. Billy Wayne McKinnon had a lot of explaining to do to investigators. And he quickly admitted that, yes, he was in Atlantic City the night of Maria's murder. But he says he didn't kill Maria. He was merely the getaway driver. Over a four day period, we talked with him, retraced his steps, and we could not find anything that he told us that was a deliberate lie or a lie.
Starting point is 00:34:43 Billy Wayne McKinnon cooperated with investigators and identified the shooter as a friend of his. A man named Larry Thompson. Thompson's the kind of guy that does this. This is what he does. He kills for money. He won't kill for anything else but money. Larry Thompson was a short order cook, and his run-ins with the law were well documented. Thompson has fingers missing on his hand. Dogs bit it off because he used to do dog fighting and some dogs bit it off. But Larry Thompson was no help to investigators. Thompson pretty much
Starting point is 00:35:18 refused to talk to us at all. In December of 1984, the police arrested and charged Larry Thompson with the murder of Maria Marshall. He was the third person charged, and there would be one more. Subsequent to the arrest of Larry Thompson, Robert Marshall was arrested on December 19, 1984. The police charged Robert Marshall with being an accomplice to his wife's murder. But how and why? Sometimes it's a relief. This wasn't that way. The family believed in Robert Marshall and kept faith with him.
Starting point is 00:35:56 Did Robert Marshall have something to do with killing his wife? His family, including his children, emphatically said no. It's a tough thing to wrap your head around that your father may have taken the life of your mother. So that's what the tragedy of this thing was. Didn't have to be. Didn't have to be. I'm Sloane Glass.
Starting point is 00:36:20 We'll learn who killed Maria Marshall, who didn't kill Maria Marshall, and how justice was ultimately served. That's next time on American Homicide in Part 2 of Murder on the Parkway. You can contact the American Homicide team by emailing us at americanhomicidepod.gmail.com. That's americanhomicidepod.gmail.com. American Homicide is hosted and written by me, Sloane Glass, and is a production of Glass
Starting point is 00:36:58 Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Todd Gans. The series is also written and produced by Todd Gans, with additional writing by Ben Federman and Andrea Gunning. Our associate producer is Kristen Malkuri. Our iHeart team is Allie Perry and Jessica Kreinchak. Audio editing, mixing and mastering by Nico Oruka. Voice acting from Trey Morgan.
Starting point is 00:37:30 American Homicide's theme song was composed by Oliver Baines of Noiser. Music library provided by MyMusic. Follow American Homicide on Apple podcasts and please rate and review American Homicide. Your five star review goes a long way towards helping others find this show. For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:38:02 He was a Boy Scout leader, a husband, a father, but he was leading a double life. He was a monster, hiding in plain sight. Journey inside the mind of one of history's most notorious killers, BTK, through the voices of the people who know him best. Listen to Monster BTK on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Calling all Yellowstone fans. Let's go to work.
Starting point is 00:38:37 Join Bobby Bones on the official Yellowstone podcast for exclusive cast interviews, behind the scenes insights, and a deep dive into the themes that have made Yellowstone podcast for exclusive cast interviews, behind the scenes insights, and a deep dive into the themes that have made Yellowstone a cultural phenomenon. Our family legacy is this ranch. And I protect it with my life. Listen to the official Yellowstone podcast now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:39:02 To have a murder as gruesome as Jade Beasley's doesn't happen very often down here. In Marion, Illinois, an 11-year-old girl brutally stabbed to death. Her father's longtime live-in girlfriend maintaining innocence, but charged with her murder. I am confident that Julie Begley is guilty. They've never found a weapon, never made sense.
Starting point is 00:39:22 Still doesn't make sense. She found out she was pregnant in jail. The person who did it is still out there. Listen to Murder on Songbird Road on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.