Residents in the small town of Murphys, Calif. are grieving after two teenagers were found murdered by their father. Phillip Marshall, 54, shot his son, Alex Marshall, 17, and his daughter, Macaila Marshall, 14, and the family dog before turning the gun on himself.
The two teens attended Bret Harte Union High School and their friends became concerned when no one had heard from Alex or Macaila since Thursday. The friends went to the teens’ home, where they found Phillip was found lying in a puddle of blood inside the front door.
According to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department, both teens were asleep on the couch when Phillip shot them with a Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Foul play by outside persons has been ruled out and evidence confirms that Phillip Marshall was the shooter.
The mother of the teens, Sean Marshall, was out of the country in Turkey at the time of the murders and is expected to return Sunday night or early Monday.
Calaveras County Supervisor Merita Callaway used to have coffee with Phillip Marshall and stated that he “appeared to be a loving father and he coached his son’s Little League team.”
The Marshall family had prior contact with the Sheriff’s Department in November 2008 when Phillip filed a crime report accusing his estranged wife, Sean Marshall, of burglary. In December 2008, Sean Marshall and her sister, Erin Chamberlain, filed a complaint against Phillip Marshall for battery, claiming that he had allegedly slapped Erin after becoming involved in an argument about visiting his daughter. Phillip Marshall was arrested and booked into jail on charges of battery, disturbing the peace, and annoying/harrassing phone calls.
Sources: KCRA; Sacramento Bee