Suspect charged in Beau Zabel murder

Published 10:10 am Thursday, December 5, 2013

PHILADELPHIA — A convicted killer already serving a life sentence has been charged in the shooting death of an aspiring teacher gunned down for his iPod a month after moving to Philadelphia.

Beau Zabel

Beau Zabel

Beau Zabel moved from Austin, Minn., to Philadelphia in May 2008 and was scheduled to start work in Philadelphia public schools. The 23-year-old man was shot dead a month later in a robbery.

The Philadelphia Inquirer said Marcellus Jones was charged Wednesday in the murder. He is already serving a life sentence for killing his get-away driver in the Zabel killing.

Email newsletter signup

Authorities said last month that charges were imminent. They said a witness stepped forward to tell police that Jones displayed the iPod and claimed he killed Zabel after realizing it wasn’t a more valuable iPhone.

For more information on the Beau Zabel murder case, check out these past Herald stories:

Warrant issued for his alleged killer, already serving life

Austin mother ‘overwhelmed’ by break in son’s murder case