DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) A Dothan man died during a dispute over a car battery, the city’s police chief revealed on Wednesday.
“This is a senseless act,” is how Chief Will Benny answered a reporter’s question about motive for the shooting that claimed the life of 31-year-old Willie Henry Roberson, Jr.
The victim’s longtime acquaintance, 25-year-old Tobias Marsh, is charged with Capital Murder.
Benny said the suspect had borrowed a car from Roberson and purchased a new car battery for it, which he refused to return with the vehicle.
The men argued as several people looked on, some of them children. As the dispute escalated, Marsh fired one rifle shot, Benny said.
Marsh’s Capital Murder charge stems from those children who are under 14 being present.
A previous felony assault charge that Marsh faced was dismissed in 2019 because witnesses refused to testify against him.
Benny said he is confident the same thing won’t happen in this case.
“We interviewed several witnesses, and everybody’s story is exactly the same,” Benny said.
Marsh has confessed, he revealed.
The victim’s longtime acquaintance, 25-year-old Tobias Marsh, is charged with Capital Murder.
The crime scene was in front of Roberson’s home in the 900 block of North Bell Street.
The chief praised Dothan officers for their work in protecting the crime scene’s integrity and investigators for their dedication to closing the case.
Marsh, jailed without bond, will appear before a Houston County judge via Zoom on Thursday.
With few exceptions, bonds are not given in capital cases.
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