The Murder of Shirley Pierce
For this case, I watched an episode of Deadly Women. It’s season 12 episode 6, titled ‘The Blame Game.’ Marlene’s case is the first of 3 cases that were discussed in this episode.
A woman wholeheartedly believes that her husband is having an affair with his assistant.
Background
Shirley Pierce was described as a typical Southern woman, warm, generous, and kind.
Shirley had 1 daughter from her marriage which ended in 1981. After her divorce, Shirley began working as an executive assistant at Tuscarora Yarns Inc. It was here that Shirley met a man named Ervin Johnson, who was the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Ervin’s wife, Michelle became fixated on Shirley and believed Shirley was the reason that her marriage fell apart.
Shirley Pierce
The Green-Eyed Monster
By 2006, Marlene became very jealous and possessive. Shirley wasn’t interested in Ervin as she was in a serious relationship with a man named Chuck Reeves. They dated for several years and became engaged in 2013.
The first incident occurred at a charity event. Marlene slapped Shirley and accused her of having a relationship with Ervin. Shirley took out a restraining order against Marlene, and Ervin moved out of the house.
Two years later, Marlene met a new man online. They became serious but she was still fixated on Ervin and Shirley. There had never been any evidence that the two were ever involved let alone attracted to each other.
Marlene watched Ervin’s home and used velcro on a window so she could gain entry whenever she wanted. In one incident, Marlene pulled a weapon on Ervin but he was able to get away. Ervin took out a restraining order on her.
Marlene continued to harass Shirley. She assaulted her again after following her out of a restaurant and told her to stop f****ing her husband. Shirley received several hang-up calls that she believed were from Marlene.
The Murder
On the morning of July 23, 2013, Marlene broke into Shirley’s home and killed her. Marlene continued to slash at Shirley with a knife. The fatal wound was to Shirley’s neck. The wound was so severe that the knife tip broke and wasn’t found until the autopsy.
After Shirley died, Marlene staged a robbery in Shirley’s home.
A few hours later, Chuck Reeves returned home and discovered Shirley’s body. She had several stab wounds as well as defensive wounds. It was clear to the police that whoever had killed Shirley had attempted to stage the scene and clean up.
Due to a trail of assault records and a restraining order, Marlene became the prime suspect. Her DNA was found at the crime scene on bloody paper towels.
On July 24, one day after the murder, Marlene Postell Johnson was arrested. She was charged with first-degree murder.
The Conviction
In January 2018, Marlene was convicted of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Marlene Postell Johnson
FINAL THOUGHTS
Marlene still claims to this day that she’s innocent. Marlene just needs to own up to what she did. Her DNA was the only DNA found in Shirley’s home besides the DNA of the people who lived there. Marlene had assaulted Shirley several times and created a narrative that Shirley was a homewrecker. Shirley had her own life and her own man. All she wanted to do was make a living for herself and unfortunately, she could not convince Marlene that she didn’t want Ervin.
Sources
https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/crime-news/marlene-stalked-murdered-shirley-pierce-over-jealousy
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/nc-court-of-appeals/2034300.html
