What to Know
- 21-year-old Marvin A. Coleman Jr. of Willingboro Township has been indicted in the fatal March 6 shooting of 21-year-old Maribely Lopez.
- Coleman fired a fatal shot into Lopez's vehicle after the two met up for the purchase of a used cell phone.
- Coleman was indicated by a Burlington County Grand Jury and could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
A man accused of killing a New Jersey woman he met on the marketplace app OfferUp was indicted on Tuesday.
Marvin A. Coleman Jr., 21, of Willingboro Township, was arrested and charged for the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Maribely Lopez of Lindenwold, earlier this year. Officials announced that he was indicted for felony murder, murder, robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.
On March 7, shortly before 8:30 a.m., police responded to a report of a woman with an apparent gunshot wound in a parked car on the first block of Medley Lane in Willingboro Township. When police arrived, they found Lopez in the driver’s seat of a Ford Focus with the engine still running.
After further investigation, police determined Coleman made arrangements with Lopez through the OfferUp app to buy a used cellphone from her. Lopez stopped her vehicle in front of his house which was near her home around 11 p.m. on March 6, investigators said.
Instead of buying the phone however, Coleman pulled out a gun and fired a shot through the partially opened driver's side window, striking Lopez once in the head and killing her, according to investigators.
The indictment was returned Tuesday and signed by Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina. An arraignment will be scheduled in Superior Court in Mount Holly. Coleman could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
Prosecutor Coffina urged people selling items online to strangers to utilize safe transaction zones offered by many local police departments.
