Crime & Safety

Town 'N Country Man Arrested After Body Found at Christ the King

The scene of Tampa Police Officers and a dead body caused a stir at the church during an open house on Thursday.

A 33-year-old Town 'N Country man has been arrested in connection with a dead body found under a car Thursday at Christ The King Catholic Church in South Tampa.

Tampa Police have charged Michael Stewart Marston, 8602 N. Sheldon Road, apartment 1201, with second degree murder in the death of 73-year-old Rolando Rivera-Arroyo.

Police say Marston attacked Rivera-Arroyo after the two had a disagreement in the parking lot of Christ The King Catholic Church on Thursday morning.

Tampa Police believe Marston stabbed the victim and proceeded to run him over with a car, according to a media release. They also say he left the man under the car and walked away from the church.

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Marston, police say, was walking later that morning near Henderson Boulevard and Swann Avenue when he was spotted by an officer around 4:15 a.m. Marston was transported to Memorial Hospital and he was found to have a broken finger.

During their investigation, detectives say they identified Marston as a suspect in the earlier death. When police went to the hospital to arrest Marston, they say he fought them. No officers were injured.

Before the altercation at Christ The King, police say Marston burglarized a storage area at his ex-wife's apartment at 3318 Deleon St. Detectives say they found property taken during that burglary in the parking lot where the body was found.

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Marston was also charged with resisting arrest with violence, illegal dumping,
burglary, petit theft, and criminal mischief, according to the release.


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