2023-08-06 20:28:01
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — A man whose naked body was found last week inside a barrel in Malibu, Calif., has been shot in the head, the county coroner’s office has determined.
The man was identified Wednesday by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office as 32-year-old Javonnta Marshann Murphy, but a cause of death was not released at the time. Information on the case provided by forensics now points to a gunshot wound to the head as the cause of death, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
Los Angeles County police are investigating the circumstances under which Murphy was shot and his body was sealed inside the container.
The 55-gallon (208-liter) capacity black plastic barrel was first detected floating in a Malibu lagoon on July 30 and a maintenance worker hauled it ashore with a kayak but did not open it.
According to the county Police Department, the barrel was opened on July 31 by a lifeguard at Malibu Lagoon State Beach, who had retrieved it following it returned to the lagoon.
It was not known how long the body was in the container.
Patrick Nelson, a family friend, told the Los Angeles Times that Murphy had grown up in South Los Angeles, had four siblings and was an aspiring rapper.
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