Jefferson’s triple murder suspect admits shooing: JPSO | Crime/Police

The man arrested in connection with a triple murder at a “homeless camp” in Old Jefferson earlier this year admitted to shooting one of the victims, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

But the suspect, Noel Marine, 55, implicated another unnamed person who threatened to harm the victims shortly before shots were fired at the hidden campsite, authorities said.

Sheriff’s Office Homicide Detective Ryan Vaught testified about the case during a Nov. 19 hearing in Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court, revealing new details about the investigation and some of the evidence against Marine, who faces three counts of murder first degree and obstruction of justice.

Marine is blamed for the deaths of Mindy Ann Robert, 44, Marcey Vincent, 33, and Warren Fairley, 53.

The victims were found shot to death on the morning of April 3 at a makeshift campsite hidden from view through thick brush and trees on a vacant lot on Shrewsbury Road.

Fingerprint evidence

Marine became a person of interest in the case after sheriff’s investigators found his fingerprint on a metal folding chair at the campground, Vaught told the court. Marine was known to frequently visit the campground with the victims, he said.

Several weeks after the murder, investigators met with him for an interview. Marine admitted to visiting the campground often and even staying there for a while, Vaught testified.

But he told investigators that he was at a friend’s house in Metairie at the time of the murders, Vaught said. He was released by investigators, who then attempted to verify his alibi.

Authorities found Marine’s boyfriend, who denied Marine was at their home at the time of the murders, Vaught said.

At some point, investigators spoke with a witness who said Marine confessed to shooting Vincent, Vaught testified.

Based on the witness statement, investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Marine. He was taken into custody on October 10 and when he was interviewed a second time, his story changed.

He told investigators that before the shooting he had been near the campground and spoken to a man who accused him of stealing a bicycle, Vaught said.

The man, whom Vaught did not name, brandished a gun and threatened to harm or shoot people at the campground. Marine went to the campground to retrieve his property, Vaught testified.

The man then entered the campsite and Marine heard gunshots, Vaught said. Marine did not admit to being involved in the shooting when he spoke with investigators.

The sheriff’s office has not yet interviewed the man Marine spoke of, and as of Monday, no one else has been arrested in the killings.

Probable cause

Vaught revealed some new details about the case during the hearing. Investigators believe that Vincent and Robert lived at the campsite. The sheriff’s office and family members said both were homeless. According to his family, Fairley lived nearby.

“Periodically, other people would stay (at the campground) and do drugs,” Vaught testified.

The hidden campsite was accessible via a path through the undergrowth. It consisted of a tent and several tarps, Vaught said. Food and hygiene items were available.

Vaught also identified the 911 caller who first alerted the sheriff’s office to the murders. A man who had been with one of the female victims discovered the bodies the morning of April 3 when he went to the campsite to look for her, Vaught testified.

The call came in around 9:40 a.m. Investigators don’t know exactly when the victims were shot. But a person who works nearby reported hearing gunshots around 1 or 2 a.m., Vaught testified.

During the hearing, Marine attorney Paul Fleming argued that there wasn’t much hard evidence in the case, citing the alleged confession of a single witness.

But the Patricia Joyce Crime Commission concluded there was probable cause to continue to hold Marine as charged. She also rejected a bail application. He was being held Monday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna.