Photo by Dave Decker
"Damien Marshall was developed as a person of interest in both homicide
investigations," TPD wrote in a press release. "Through surveillance, DNA and various investigative techniques, detectives developed probable cause to charge Marshall with the murders."
TPD said that Marshall was arrested on Nov. 16, 2021 for failure to register as a sex offender, where he remains in jail. Charges of first degree murder for both cases were
added.
On Sept. 27, 2021, Linda Harris was found dead with "upper body trauma" in an abandoned home that was set for demolition at the 1800 block of E. Sligh Avenue, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay reported last September.
Construction workers told CL that they found the body while doing a walkthrough of the home before demolition, and notified police.
While the case was initially ruled a death investigation, a month later, on Oct. 28, TPD publicly announced it was a homicide, and asked the community for tips.
TPD told CL that every case has to be investigated, and that the time before a death investigation is announced as a homicide can vary.
On Nov. 2 2021, just before 6 a.m., TPD officers responded to the area of 9th Street and Fairbanks Avenue in Sulphur Springs, where they discovered the body of 25-year-old Jenny De Leon. After investigation, the medical examiner ruled this case a homicide and on Nov. 8, TPD asked the public for tips related to the investigation.
De Leon was a trans woman, and the LGBTQ+ community called for answers to her death, and pointed out the high amount of transgender killings in the United States last year.
TPD says that the investigation into both homicides is ongoing.
On the same day De Leon's body was discovered, later in the afternoon, another body was found in Seminole Heights in a house located at 7800 N. 22nd street, less than a mile from where Harris' body was found. TPD identified the victim as male, who also experienced "upper body trauma."
CL asked TPD for an update on this case, after initially asking still unanswered questions about the murders last November. This post will be updated if an update from TPD comes in.
