In the quiet community of Willingboro, New Jersey, a young woman's life was tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence that began with a simple online transaction. Maribely Lopez, a 21-year-old female from Lindenwold, was looking to sell a used cellphone and found a potential buyer through the marketplace app OfferUp. She arranged to meet the buyer on the evening of March 6, 2019, on Medley Lane, in front of what was a vacant house.
The following morning, on March 7, 2019,
police were called to the scene to find a car with its engine still running. Inside, they discovered the lifeless body of Maribely Lopez. She had been shot once in the head through the partially opened driver's side window. The cellphone she had intended to sell was found still inside her vehicle, a detail that would later point to a robbery gone horribly wrong. The investigation quickly led police to a nearby home on Marlboro Lane, just a short walk from where Maribely's car was found.
The investigation identified Marvin A. Coleman Jr., a 20-year-old resident of Willingboro, as the person who had arranged to meet Maribely. Evidence suggested that instead of a simple exchange, Coleman had planned to rob her. On April 30, 2019, Marvin A. Coleman Jr. was arrested during a traffic stop. He was subsequently charged with murder, felony murder, robbery, and weapons offenses.
In March 2023, a jury found Marvin A. Coleman Jr. guilty on all charges. On June 9, 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Maribely Lopez, bringing a conclusion to a case that highlighted the potential dangers of online marketplace transactions and left a family and community mourning the loss of a young life.
