Two California teens shot and killed by father in murder/suicide

Alex Marshall, age 17

Two teens, Alex Marshall, age 17, and his sister, Macaila Marshall, age 14, were asleep on the couch in their Forest Meadows, California home when their father, Philip Marshall, 54, came in and shot each of them one time in the head, killing them. He then turned the gun on himself, committing suicide. A group of teens, who came to visit the home, looked through the window and discovered the scene, alerting 911.

The father, Philip, was estranged from his wife, Sean, who, along with her sister, had filed battery charges against him.

Philip had been an airline pilot who had also worked with the CIA and DEA, and had co-authored a book about a 9/11 conspiracy theory.

From an article:

A Murphys man killed his two children with a Glock 9mm handgun before turning the weapon on himself at his home in Forest Meadows late last week. 

Macaila Marshall, age 14

Former airline captain Philip Marshall, 54, killed his son Alex, 17, and daughter Macaila, 14, each with a single bullet to the head, as they slept nestled under blankets on the living room couch. He then pointed the gun at his head and committed suicide. Both children attended Bret Harte High School. 

Alex was active on the Bret Harte football team, known for his good sense of humor and well-liked by his classmates. Macaila was very outgoing. 

“She was just one of those girls who was full of vim and vigor and so much fun,” said Mike Brown, who lives two doors up the street. “The first time she came over was to borrow a cup of sugar,” he remembered fondly. ...

“The investigation revealed there was no foul play involved in this crime,” Hewitt said. “All evidence and information at the scene confirmed this was indeed a double-murder suicide and there was no evidence to suggest there was an outside party who entered the house and committed a triple murder.” 

It is not clear exactly when or why the incident occurred. Hewitt said investigators believe it occurred sometime between Thursday night and Saturday. 

School friends exchanged text messages with both Alex and Micaila as late as midnight Thursday and nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, parents said. Neither of the children showed up for school Friday. 

When asked whether Marshall had a history of mental illness, Hewitt said he could not comment, however he did say Monday that he discovered both Philip and his estranged wife, Sean, had a history with law enforcement. 

“Philip Marshall filed a burglary report against his estranged wife in November 2008,” Hewitt said. “Sean Marshall and her sister Erin Chamberlain filed a report against Philip Marshall in December 2008 for battery, annoying phone calls and disturbing the peace. He was arrested for battery against Erin Chamberlain.” 

Hewitt said investigators believe the murders occurred sometime between Thursday and Saturday morning. Hewitt said the coroner will take a liver temperature to get a more accurate time of death.

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