Beau Zabel, a 23-year-old aspiring teacher, had only been in Philadelphia for six weeks when his life was tragically cut short in June 2008. Originally from Austin, Minnesota, he had moved to the city to follow his dream of working in urban schools and was enrolled as a teaching fellow at Drexel University. To support himself before his teaching position began, he took on a night shift at a Starbucks.
In the early morning hours of June 15th, as he walked home from his shift, listening to music on his iPod, he was shot and killed just a block from his apartment near the Italian Market. The assailant took his iPod but left his wallet and cash.
For years, the case remained a painful mystery with few leads, despite widespread publicity and a significant reward for information. Investigators believed the killer might not have been a local resident, which complicated their efforts. A break in the case finally came years later, leading them to a suspect named Marcellus Jones. In 2013, Jones was formally charged with the murder of Beau Zabel. By this time, Jones was already serving a life sentence for the 2012 murder of Tyrek Taylor, who prosecutors alleged was Jones's getaway driver on the night of Zabel's death. Witnesses testified that Jones had killed Taylor because he was afraid Taylor would 'snitch' about his involvement in the teacher's murder.
The prosecution's case against Marcellus Jones for Beau Zabel's murder relied heavily on witness testimony, as there was no DNA or other physical evidence linking him to the crime scene. One key witness, a former inmate and friend of Jones, testified that Jones had confessed to killing Zabel while they were in prison together. This witness claimed Jones admitted the robbery 'got ugly' and that he also killed his accomplice, Tyrek Taylor, for being 'weak' and likely to talk to the police. Another witness stated that shortly after the murder, Jones showed off Zabel's iPod, expressing anger that he hadn't gotten more from the robbery.
Despite the testimony against him, Marcellus Jones maintained his innocence throughout the trial, even taking the stand in his own defense to claim that the witnesses were lying. His lawyer attacked the credibility of the witnesses who testified about Jones's alleged admissions. In December 2015, after deliberating for just three hours, the jury found Marcellus Jones not guilty of all charges in the death of Beau Zabel, a verdict that stunned Zabel's family. Though acquitted of Zabel's murder, Jones remains in prison, continuing to serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the murder of Tyrek Taylor.
