Willingboro, NJ, Man Convicted For Killing a Woman Who Was Selling a Phone
A Willingboro Township man has been convicted of murder for fatally shooting a 21-year-old woman from Lindenwold in the head while she was sitting in her car.
Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw's office says a jury deliberated all day Tuesday and Wednesday morning before returning guilty verdicts against 24-year-old Marvin A. Coleman, Jr. on charges of,
- First-degree felony murder
- First-degree murder
- First-degree robbery
- Second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose
- Second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon
An investigation began after police were called to the first block of Medley Lane in Willingboro just before 8:30 on the morning of March 7th, 2019, for a report of a woman in a parked car with an apparent gunshot wound.
Arriving officers found Maribely Lopez in the driver's seat with the engine still running. They determined the shooting happened around 11:00 the night before.
The investigation further revealed that Coleman had made arrangements on March 6 through the marketplace app OfferUp to purchase a used cell phone from Lopez. They agreed that Lopez would meet Coleman in front of a house on Medley Lane, which is a short walk through a field from the defendant’s residence on Marlboro Lane.
But instead of buying the phone, authorities say Coleman executed Lopez by firing a shot through the partially opened driver's side window.
The phone that she was selling was found by investigators inside the car.
An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood revealed that Lopez died from a single gunshot to the head.
Coleman is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9th.