For killing his own father, beating the 83-year-old to death, and then concealing his body in the older man’s backyard under a tarp, a 63-year-old man in North Carolina could serve more than 20 years in prison.
Marshall Todd Anderson was sentenced to 18 to 22 years in a state jail prison by a New Hanover County judge on Monday for the 2024 murder of William Thomas Anderson, according to authorities.
Deputies responded to a call from a family member requesting a welfare check on the elderly Anderson at his residence in the 900 block of Marlowe Drive in Wilmington, North Carolina, at approximately 8 p.m. on February 22, 2024, according to a news release from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. About 125 miles southeast of Raleigh, North Carolina, is where the home is located.
First responders reported that they discovered the victim’s body hidden outside the victim’s house after searching the backyard. On the spot, the elder Anderson was declared dead. It was concluded that blunt force trauma was the cause of his death and that homicide was the manner of death.
In connection with his father’s passing, Marshall Anderson was immediately recognized as a person of interest.
After conducting a search, authorities reported that they discovered him strolling down S. College Road, close to a nearby Best Buy. He was taken into custody right away and sent without bond to the New Hanover County Detention Facility.
Additional information regarding William Anderson’s dying circumstances was discovered by StarNews Online from court filings.
The victim’s grandson, Marshall Anderson’s son, reportedly visited his grandfather’s home to see how he was doing because the 83-year-old had been exhibiting early symptoms of dementia. He discovered his father was already at the house when he got there.
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According to reports, Marshall Anderson informed his son that he had just spent a minute with his grandfather.
“When the grandson began to search the house and then the yard for his grandfather, the defendant told him not to disturb a blue tarp in the backyard under which he claimed there was trash,” a probable cause affidavit states. “The grandson began to search the surrounding neighborhood and called 911.”
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Marshall Anderson apparently vanished during the brief time it took for deputies to reach the residence. Marshall Anderson requested a neighbor for a lift to Walmart when he noticed enforcement lights approaching the house, investigators later found out.
When William Anderson’s body was found, authorities stated that he had been dead for at least 12 hours. A number of the victim’s relatives spoke to the court during the sentencing hearing.
“The grandson spoke at the sentencing and gave voice to the hardship that the defendant has inflicted on their family and loved ones, and the heartbreak when someone chooses drugs over their own family,” according to a release from the district attorney’s office.
