In a chilling incident in Arizona, a teenager reportedly overheard her mother desperately begging for her life before discovering her father standing over her mother’s lifeless body in the garage, savoring a cigar.
Robert Marin faces charges of second-degree murder along with two counts of disorderly conduct, as he allegedly shot and killed his estranged wife, Heather Marin, on March 16. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office provided a direct complaint to Oxygen, indicating this act was rooted in domestic violence.
The affidavit, obtained by Law & Crime, reveals that Heather had visited Robert’s Phoenix residence following an altercation between him and their teenage daughter.
“During this dispute, Marin expressed animosity towards the victim [Heather Marin], from whom he was unofficially separated and undergoing divorce proceedings,” the affidavit noted. “The daughter mentioned confronting her father regarding the separation dynamics, which likely intensified the argument.”
The teenager informed police she overheard her father telling her mother that he was unable to handle their daughter any longer and did not want her to stay at the house, according to court documents. Ignoring two phone calls from her mother, the daughter later heard shouting in the garage, followed by her mother’s voice pleading, “please don’t kill me, please don’t kill me.”
At around 9:30 p.m., the teenager reportedly heard four gunshots and, upon opening the garage door, found her father standing near her mother’s body, holding a firearm, as stated by authorities.
After finding the bloody scene, the teen yelled,“Why would you do this?!” to which the 60-year-old allegedly responded by “shrugging his shoulders,” then walked out of the garage, only to return with a cigar, according to the affidavit.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office argued in the court document that the killing appeared premeditated because Marin showed “indifference after the shooting, electing to smoke a cigar rather than render aid.”
Marin was allegedly covered with “blood on his clothing and shoes” when deputies arrived at the property, authorities said. They recovered the firearm at the scene.
“When deputies contacted the suspect, he dropped to his knees upon their arrival and was detained without making any statements,” the affidavit read. “Deputies noted a strong odor of alcohol coming from Marin during transport to a MCSO [Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office] facility for questioning and processing.”
The couple’s teenage daughter described a volatile relationship between her parents, per the affidavit, telling investigators that, in February, Marin had threatened to shoot his wife and then himself. She also alerted them to “hateful” text messages between the pair, authorities said.
“[The daughter] confirmed that Marin was an avid gun owner with multiple unsecured firearms stored throughout the residence to include pistols and hunting rifles,” the affidavit alleged. “She also described a large safe in a closet within the house which also stored firearms and ammunition.”
Marin is currently being held in the Maricopa County jail on a $2 million bond, according to court records reviewed by Oxygen.
Oxygen reached out to the Maricopa public defender’s office, who is representing Marin on the allegations, but did not receive an immediate response.
