Hundreds mourn students slain in murder-suicide | News

CALAVERAS COUNTY, CA - Hundreds of people gathered to remember the two young teens tragically killed along with their father over the weekend in a murder-suicide.

Parents, students and school staff all showed their love and support for Macaila Marshall and her brother Alex Marshall. Both were students at Bret Harte High School in Angels Camp.

Deputies believe the teens' father Phillip Marshall killed his kids as they were sleeping on the couch at his home in Murphys, killed the family dog, and then turned the gun on himself.

While the motive behind the shooting remains unclear, many people are still in disbelief that the father would be the suspected gunman.

"He made everyone laugh. He was really nice. I don't know. I've known him since 3rd grade," one student about Marshall said.

Marshall was in the middle of a bitter divorce with his estranged wife.

Court records also reveal allegations of domestic violence surrounding a custody fight, but charges against Marshall were later dropped

Marshall, a former pilot and author, wrote a book after 9/11 based on a conspiracy theory that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia attacked New York and Washington, D.C.

Even though records indicate that Marshall had no financial problems, some people said "his finances were tight. Meanwhile, the divorce between Mr. and Mrs. Marshall was still pending.

A memorial will be held on Saturday, February 9th at 11 a.m. at the football stadium at Bret Harte High School.

Alex was a 11th grader at the school. He participated in football, baseball and was active in student leadership. Macaila was a 9th grade student at the same school.

By Suzanne Phan, sphan@news10.net