NEWS
Police find weapon in 1st ‘08 homicide in Madison
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by Cara Harshman
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Madison police found an eight-inch knife with blood on the blade in the home of homicide victim Joel Marino, according to court reports filed Wednesday.
Police also found the murder suspect’s hat and backpack near Marino’s house in the Monona Bay neighborhood.
Forensic tests will be performed on the knife, backpack and hat at the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory, Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said Wednesday.
Marino, 31, was found severely injured around 1:20 p.m. Monday in an alley near his home at 714 West Shore Drive. Upon arrival at the hospital, he was pronounced dead from repeated stab wounds. Police said Marino may have been attacked in his home.
MPD officials found the knife when they searched Marino’s residence Monday.
At a Monona Bay neighborhood meeting at St. Mary’s Hospital Wednesday night, MPD Cpt. Jim Wheeler said evidence still shows that this murder appears to be a random act, and there is no information to suggest this is a serial killer.
The current suspect is described by police as a thin male, about 6 feet tall and last seen wearing a tan sheepskin jacket.
Ald. Julia Kerr, District 13, told the packed room she arranged the meeting for residents in her area to mourn the death of their good friend Joel, to hear updated news about the continuing investigation and voice safety concerns about the community.
“I think probably if your range of emotions are anything like mine, they’re sad that this man’s life was taken violently from him, and you’re angry that it happened here, and you’re worried and scared,” Kerr said.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz assured the audience that Madison remains a “very safe city.”
“We are very aware of the issue at the city level and are expecting some significant amount of resources to address it,” Cieslewicz said. “But nonetheless, it does certainly affect people’s confidence and perception, and that needs to be addressed as well.”
Cieslewicz said the city just hired a new crime analyst and hopes to install a new safety initiative, the Neighborhood Indicators Project, from Charlotte, N.C. The project would install 20 indicators to track crime numbers and catch problems as they occur.
“We hope to get the project out by the end of the year,” Cieslewicz added.
The people who knew Marino said he was instrumental in trying to establish a neighborhood watch for the Monona Bay area.
Neighbors said the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater graduate was well liked by those who knew him.
Wheeler urged anyone with any information to call Crime Stoppers at 266-6014.
“We need to hear everything, no matter how minor a person thinks it is, it can be a big break for a crime investigation,” Wheeler said. “People naturally should be observers around them; if anything doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and take action.”
MPD encouraged Marino’s family to establish a reward fund for anyone with information regarding a suspected killer. Checks can be made payable to The Joel Marino Reward Fund and sent to McFarland State Bank at 5990 Hwy 51, Box 7, McFarland, WI 53558.
Anonymous (January 31, 2008 @ 5:48pm):
Joel was an aquaintance of mine. RIP...
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