The Murder of Danielle Marshall
For this case, I watched an episode of A Time to Kill. It’s season 4 episode 3, titled ‘Data Doesn’t Lie.’
A young single mother is killed in her home.
Background
Danielle Marshall was a 23-year-old single mom of a 9-month-old daughter named Eva. Danielle and Eva had been living with Danielle’s mom, Gloria, in Powder Springs, Georgia.
Danielle met Eva’s father, Joshua Gibson, while they were both working at Goodwill. The relationship was described as very toxic. Gloria had banned Joshua from the house, but Joshua would come and see his daughter while Gloria was at work.
Danielle was described as kind to everyone. Danielle also had a large smile, and was always happy.
Danielle Marshall
Danielle and Eva
The Crime Scene
In the early morning hours of January 14, 2013, Joshua called 911 around 1:15am. Joshua claimed that he had been texting Danielle, and couldn’t get a hold of her. Joshua said that he could hear his daughter crying inside, and asked for a welfare check to be done.
When the police arrived, Joshua was standing at the front door. The door was locked. The police told Joshua to wait in the front while they walked around to the back. The back door was unlocked, and the police were able to push their way inside.
On the kitchen floor, the body of Danielle was found. She was lying in a fetal position, in a pool of blood, and had a gunshot wound to her left temple. Danielle had also been pistol whipped, as it had left behind a star shaped wound. Baby Eva had been crawling around, and was picked up by one of the officers.
There was no sign of forced entry or robbery. The police believed Danielle had known her killer, as she had only been wearing a t-shirt and underwear.
The Ex-Boyfriend
The police had to break the news to Danielle’s mom, Gloria. Gloria immediately pointed to Joshua as being the only one who wanted Danielle dead.
The police spoke to Joshua. They asked him why he hadn’t gone around to the back of the house to check the door. Joshua told them that he didn’t feel like it. Joshua also showed no emotion to the news that Danielle was dead.
Joshua’s car was in the driveway. The police noticed that the drivers side window had been shot out, and it was covered with plastic. A bullet hole was found in the drivers side rear door. Joshua claimed that someone had shot at him just a few weeks before Danielle was killed. Joshua said that he thought Danielle had done it. However, Danielle had been at home with her mom and daughter.
The police asked Joshua to come to the station for a more formal interview. Joshua claimed that he was supposed to go to Danielle’s around 9pm, but told her that he was tired. Joshua said his girlfriend came home around 10pm, and that they went to bed.
Joshua said he woke up around midnight, and texted Danielle. When she didn’t answer, he woke up his girlfriend. Joshua said he felt like something was wrong, and needed to check on Danielle. The police didn’t have any evidence that Joshua had killed Danielle, so he was released.
The Other Suspects
The police had asked Joshua if anyone else would want to hurt Danielle. Joshua said yes, Danielle had been seeing another man named Darnell.
Darnell had a criminal record, and actually had a probation warrant out for him. Darnell was told by the police that they wouldn’t arrest him for it.
Darnell spoke to the police about Danielle. He was actually devastated by the news of Danielle’s death, and said that the two had a good time together. Darnell explained that Joshua was always rude to him when he was around. Darnell said he stepped away from the relationship because Danielle wasn’t going to stop seeing Joshua.
Darnell had an alibi. He had been out partying all night with 3-4 other people. He was eliminated as a suspect.
The next suspect the police looked into was Joshua’s girlfriend and mother of his other child, DeAndra. DeAndra had admitted that she and Danielle had gotten into a confrontation at Goodwill. She said she had been at work at Walmart until 10pm, and then went home to go to sleep. The police were also able to eliminate her as a suspect.
A Cold Case
Sadly, Danielle’s case went cold. The police had several suspects, and all of them had alibis.
In 2015, Cobb County had started a cold case unit. Danielle’s case was one of the first to be reopened. The investigators decided to look into Danielle, Joshua and DeAndra’s phone records again.
The police found a phone call placed by DeAndra at 11:22pm. It was to a man named Trevor Green, who had been friends with Joshua since middle school.
The police were able to track Trevor down at his job. Trevor was pissed that the police had shown up. They asked Trevor about the phone call. The police had also obtained a warrant to get the coordinates for where Trevor’s phone had been traveling to. Trevor admitted that he had picked Joshua up on the night Danielle died, and that they drove to Danielle’s.
Trevor said that Joshua had told him that they were going to have a threesome. But, when they arrived, Danielle was pissed, and told them to leave. Trevor said they left, but Joshua had gone back inside for a few minutes. Trevor said he didn’t hear anything, but that Joshua seemed normal when he came back outside. Trevor said he dropped Joshua back off at his home.
The police knew that Trevor would be contacting Joshua after they left. They were able to obtain a warrant for his phone. Trevor had gone off on Joshua, asking him what he got him involved in. Joshua told him that he didn’t kill Danielle, but knew who did.
The Conviction and Death
In September 2015, Joshua Gibson was arrested.
In 2018, Joshua was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, solicitation to commit murder and possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Joshua had to be removed from the courtroom during his trial because he had been shouting over a witness. Joshua also drew images of the male anatomy and a lewd image of a woman where he was supposed to sign the sentencing form.
We are not done yet! Joshua also slapped one his lawyers. He asked to plead guilty, but after he slapped a lawyer, the plea deal was taken off the table.
Joshua has since died. He had jumped off a second floor railing, which led to a brain bleed and death.
Joshua Gibson
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s clear that Joshua had issues. He was most likely abusive, controlling and manipulative. Danielle seemed to have really cared about him, despite everything he had done to her. Danielle wanted Joshua to have a relationship with his daughter, while at the same time protecting Eva. Danielle really did seem caring and kind, and was taken way too soon. Danielle wanted a good life for her and her daughter, and now Eva is left without both of her parents.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/danielle-marshall-murder-how-did-joshua-gibson-die/
https://www.oxygen.com/in-ice-cold-blood/crime-news/josh-gibson-danielle-marshall-murder-cold-case
