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The ?person of interest? in the killing of a man near St.
Mary?s Hospital is now believed to be a suspect ?directly involved in the
murder,? the Madison Police Department announced Tuesday.

MPD Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain said that in
order to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, officers cannot
release specific evidence about how they concluded the white male seen near the
scene of the Jan. 28 murder of 31-year-old Joel Marino is directly involved in
the murder.

Police have an updated description of the suspect spotted
around the 700 block of South Park Street after Joel Marino was found fatally
stabbed in an alley.

The suspect is now believed to be white male with a thin
build between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet 2 inches tall. According to the
police report, the suspect is in his 20s and has blond or light brown hair. He
was last seen wearing a tan Carhartt-brand jacket and a white hat with a red ?W?
on the front.

A witness said the suspect may have been seen on State
Street Jan. 25, the Friday before the murder.

DeSpain said he spoke with Bryan Bazan, a friend of Marino?s
family acting as their spokesperson, and the family is very encouraged that MPD
is continuing to work to bring justice to Marino?s murderer.

A command post is still set up in the South District where
detectives are continuing to investigate, DeSpain said.

A University of Wisconsin-Whitewater graduate, Marino was
found stabbed in an alley outside his home at 714 W. Shore Drive Jan. 28.
Police found a bloody knife in his home the day of the murder.

A reward fund of $42,000 is offered to anyone who can help
identify the suspect.

DeSpain said anyone with information about the case is
encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.