WBIR-TV in Knoxville reports that a man was shot and killed by his wife within fifteen minutes of walking out of jail. The man had been arrested only earlier that same day.
The local sheriff in McMinn County, Tennessee, said that Athens Police Officers had received a call shortly before 8:00 a.m. that Robert Vann Marshall, 34, was in a rage, suicidal, armed and threatening to kill his wife and children. Officers found him at a local motel with a handgun and various pills in his possession. He was arrested for charges relating to the firearm and narcotics.
Later that day, Marshall made bail, but before leaving was told that there was an active protective order against him. They gave him a copy of it and explained that he was not to go near his wife and children, or even to try to contact his wife, or he would be arrested again.
Marshall walked out of the police station at 1:27 p.m.
At 1:38 p.m., 911 got a call that Marshall was at his wife’s residence, attempting to get inside. As officers were en route to the scene, Marshall’s wife told dispatchers that he had tried to force his way into the house, and that she had shot him.
Officers arrived at the home, found the front door kicked in, and Marshall lying in a bedroom with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.
Officers worked the scene as usual, but found nothing inconsistent with Melissa Marshall’s story. They did not arrest or charge her with anything, determining that it was a case of self-defense.
“It’s a case where domestic violence unfortunately resulted in a loss of life,” said Sheriff Joe Guy. “Court orders won’t keep every aggressor away, but are a useful deterrent to acts of violence and further enable officers to have knowledge of the situation.”