Trial Begins for Man Accused of Killing Iowa City Landlord

After several delays, the murder trial has begun for one of the men accused in the killing of an Iowa City landlord in 2009.

The trial of Justin Alexander Marshall began earlier today with jury selection. Vanessa Miller of the Gazette reports:

Jury selection is underway in the first-degree murder trial of one of three men arrested in connection with the 2009 shooting death of John Versypt in south Iowa City.

More than 50 potential jurors are seated in a Johnson County courtroom waiting to be questioned by attorneys. If chosen, jurors will be asked to listen to about two weeks of testimony and decide the fate of Justin A. Marshall, 22.

Lee Hermiston of the Iowa City Press-Citizen is Livetweeting the trial if you are interested in following along, with the trial still in progress.

According to police, Marshall, 20, was arrested at 2:15 a.m. on the morning of July 14, 2011, with no incident in Lancaster, TX and charged with first-degree murder for his involvement in the Oct. 8, 2009 shooting death of Joseph Versypt, an Iowa City landlord from Cordova, Illinois. The arrest was made by police officers from both Lancaster and Iowa City.

On the date of the murder, police responded to the scene after a report of a shooting at 1958 Broadway St in the #C building and found Versypt dead with a gunshot wound to the head and a gun lying nearby. Versypt had been apparently been doing work on one of his properties when the shooting occurred.

Witness reports also led to the arrest of Charles William Curtis Thompson, 20, on Feb. 11, 2010 and . Police say the reports tied Thompson to the clothing worn by one of the assailants as well as described Thompson as having shown the gun used in the crime before on different occasions. Lab testing on Thompson's clothing acquired by police confirmed that there was residue on the clothing consistent with a firearm having been used.

A witness also told police that they had seen Marshall and Thompson with the gun found at the scene the night before the murder.

Thompson already agreed to testify against Marshall and another man as a part of his plea deal, according to court information. This was following a highly publicized mistrial during Thompson's trial due to an error by the Johnson County attorney. Before his second trial was set to begin, Thompson pleaded down to an accessory to murder charge.

Witness reports also tied Marshall to the hallway where the crime had occurred, as one witness reportedly told police that they had heard a pop and had seen Marshall run away, with Marshall then asking to be let in to another apartment. Marshall admitted to another witness to being in the hallway when the murder occurred. He also asked three separate people to provide him with an alibi for the time of the crime. His clothing also tested positive for gun residue, police said.

According to the criminal complaint from White's arrest, a witness told police that White had mentioned that he needed money a few weeks prior to the Versypt shooting, and that he was planning on "hitting a lick," which is slang for committing a robbery. The witness suggested the White may have been referring to a man who came around in the area collecting money. 

The witness reportedly told police that at the time of the shooting they saw White running from the scene in a black hoodie, which he discarded before entering into a car and driving away. Police say they recovered the hoodie, which tested positive for gun residue, indicating a gun had been fired nearby. The witness allegedly told police that White threatened to injure him or her if his presence at the crime scene was mentioned.

White is set to go on trial for first-degree murder on May 1.