Robert Marshall, 'Blind Faith' Killer, Has Died

Robert O. Marshall, the Toms River insurance salesman who was convicted of arranging the murder of his wife, Maria, in 1984, has died.

>>Related story: The Contract Murder Of Maria P. Marshall Still Reverberates in Ocean County, 30 Years Later

Chris Marshall, the middle son, confirmed his father’s death on Monday, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press. Marshall, 75, who had been in prison since December 1984, had been scheduled for a hearing before the state Parole Board, a move his two olders sons, Chris and Roby, opposed.

The murder case and the trial of Marshall and three others in Maria’s death became the subject of a best-selling book by Joe McGuinniss titled ”Blind Faith,” which was later made into a television miniseries.

The cause of death was not immediately known, according to the Press report.

Marshall initially was sentenced to death in arranging the murder of Maria, who was shot at a rest stop on the Garden State Parkway as the couple returned from a trip to Atlantic City. According to the prosecution, Marshall pulled off at the Oyster Creek picnic area -- which has since been closed -- to check a flat tire. Maria was later found dead of two gunshot wounds on the front seat of the car. He claimed he was knocked unconscious.

Prosecutors argued that Marshall had hired two men to kill his wife so that he could collect on a $1.5 million insurance policy and so he could continue an extramarital affair. He was later convicted of the murder and sentenced to death.

New Jersey eliminated the death penalty after Marshall was sentenced, and in 2006 he was resentenced to life with 30 years of parole ineligibility by Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels. In 2012 Marshall applied, asking Daniels to reconsider the sentence, citing deteriorating health. In a written opinion, Daniels denied Marshall’s request to change his sentence, noting that the Court was aware of Marshall’s health at the time of the re-sentencing in 2006, and that Marshall’s present health condition does not rise to the level of severity he claimed warranted his release.

Prosecutors argued that Marshall had hired two men to kill his wife so that he could collect on a $1.5 million insurance policy. He was later convicted of the murder and sentenced to death.

While Marshall’s older sons cut ties with their father, the youngest, John, continued to believe his father’s innocence, reports have said.