Tampa Man Arrested In Killings Of 2 Women, Police Say
A 40-year-old Tampa man is facing first-degree murder charges in connection to the slayings of two women, according to the Tampa Police Department.
The body of Linda Harris was found in an abandoned home in the 1800 block of East Sligh Avenue on Sept. 27. The house was set for demolition, and workers found the 54-year-old Harris’ partially clothed body during a walk-through that morning.
The body showed signs of upper body trauma, and the medical examiner’s office ruled Harris’ death a homicide, the agency said in a news release Thursday.
About five weeks later, Jenny DeLeon’s body was found in Tampa’s Sulphur Springs area. The 25-year-old woman’s body was discovered outside a home near 9th Street North and Fairbanks Avenue around 6 a.m. Nov. 2.
No details of DeLeon’s death were released Thursday, but police said DeLeon’s death also was ruled a homicide.
Detectives determined Damien Marshall was a person of interest in both cases, and evidence collected through the course of the investigation, including DNA, provided probable cause for first-degree murder charges in both cases, according to the release.
Marshall has been in jail since Nov. 16 on charges including failing to report a change of address as a sex offender and failing to report a change of vehicle as a sex offender, police said, and first-degree murder charges now have been added.
The investigations are ongoing.
This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.
