North Carolina (UBM)- An individual who is 63 years old and lives in North Carolina may be sentenced to more than twenty years in prison for the murder of his own father. He is accused of beating the 83-year-old man to death and then concealing his body in the backyard of the older man by covering it with a tarp. Marshall Todd Anderson was sentenced to serve between 18 and 22 years in a state jail prison on Monday, according to the announcement made by officials. The punishment was handed down by a judge in New Hanover County for the murder of William Thomas Anderson in 2024.
At approximately eight o’clock in the evening on February 22, 2024, deputies responded to a call from a family member who wanted to do a welfare check on the elderly Anderson at his residence located in the 900 block of Marlowe Drive in Wilmington, North Carolina. This information was provided in a press release issued by the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. About 125 miles to the southeast of Raleigh, North Carolina, is where you will find the house.
When first responders arrived at the location, they reported that they searched the rear of the victim’s home and discovered his body hidden outside. At the scene, it was determined that the elder Anderson had passed away. It was established that he had been murdered, and blunt force trauma was the cause of death. His manner of death was ruled to be a homicide investigation.
It didn’t take long for Marshall Anderson to be recognized as a person of interest in connection with the death of his father. The authorities conducted a search of the area and reported that they discovered him strolling down S. College Road, close to a Best Buy store in the vicinity. Immediately after his arrest, he was taken into custody and remanded to the New Hanover County Detention Facility without the possibility of bond.
Documents from the court that were obtained by StarNews Online offered new information into the circumstances surrounding the death of William Anderson.
As stated in the report, Marshall Anderson’s son, who was also the victim’s grandson, had visited his grandfather at his residence in order to check on him. This was due to the fact that the 83-year-old had been exhibiting the early symptoms of dementia. It was discovered by him that his father was already present at the residence when he came there. According to reports, Marshall Anderson shared with his kid that he had just seen his grandfather a minute earlier.
“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 from which he claimed there was trash,” the probable cause affidavit adds, as reported by Wilmington NBC affiliate WECT. “The defendant claimed that there was trash under the blue tarp.” In addition to calling 911, the grandson started searching the neighborhood that was surrounding them.
The disappearance of Marshall Anderson was reported to have occurred during the brief period of time that it took for deputies to arrive at the residence. Once the investigation was completed, the investigators discovered that Marshall Anderson had asked a neighbor to provide him with a ride to Walmart when he spotted the patrol lights approaching the residence.
According to the authorities, William Anderson had been presumed dead for a minimum of twelve hours prior to the recovery of his body.
The court was addressed by a number of members of the victim’s family during the sentencing hearing.
According to a press release issued by the district attorney’s office, “The grandson spoke at the sentencing and gave voice to the hardship that the defendant has inflicted on their family and loved ones, as well as the heartbreak that occurs when someone chooses drugs over their own family.”
