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Marvin A. Coleman Jr., 24, of Willingboro was found guilty Tuesday, March 21, of murder, robbery and weapons offenses, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw.
Coleman killed a 21-year-old Lindenwold woman four years ago while she was sitting in her car in the Millbrook Park section of Willingboro Township, Bradshaw said.
Police were called to the first block of Medley Lane just before 8:30 a.m. on March 7, 2019, for a report of a female in a parked car with an apparent gunshot wound, the prosecutor said.
Police found Maribely Lopez in the driver’s seat of her Ford Focus with the engine still running, Bradshaw said. The investigation determined the shooting occurred at approximately 11 p.m. 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, Coleman executed Lopez by firing a shot through the partially opened driver’s side window, Bradshaw said. The phone that was advertised for sale was discovered by investigators inside of the car.
An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood revealed that Lopez died from a single gunshot to the head.
Sentencing is set for June 9.
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