Convicted Black Murderer to Stand Trial For Killing White Teacher to Steal His i-Pod

NBC Philadelphia
March 30, 2014

Beau Zabel came to Philadelphia from a small town in Minnesota. He was studying to be a math teacher when he was shot to death, police say, for his iPod on June 15, 2008.
Beau Zabel came to Philadelphia from a small town in Minnesota. He was studying to be a math teacher when he was shot to death, police say, for his iPod on June 15, 2008.

A man already serving a life sentence in one murder case will be heading to trial in the shooting death of an aspiring teacher who authorities say was gunned down for his iPod a month after moving to Philadelphia.

Prosecutors say an indicting grand jury charged 35-year-old Marcellus Jones on Monday with murder, conspiracy, robbery and other counts in the May 2008 murder of 23-year-old Beau Zabel.

Authorities said Zabel had moved from Austin, Minn., and was scheduled to start work in the public schools.

Jones was convicted earlier of killing a man police said was the getaway driver in the Zabel killing.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that prosecutors presented the new murder case to a grand jury rather than in open court because of concerns about witness intimidation.

Marcellus Jones
Marcellus Jones is already serving time for murdering the getaway driver, from the day he gunned down the White teacher.

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