UPDATE -- A jury has found the man accused of dismembering his own father guilty.
Matthew Marshall wasfound guilty of second-degree murder Thursday after hours of deliberations.
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Matthew Marshall, the man accused of killing and dismembering his father, Rick Marshall, was suited and standing alone in court as the second day of trial unfolded.
Marshall was struggling throughout the trial, at one point the judge told him he was "floating around clueless." The judge made it clear, early on, it would be a bad idea for Marshall to represent himself, but still, he declined to work with a public defender.
As the state presented evidence to the judge and the jury, sitting a couple rows to the left of Matthew, was his mother, brother, and other family members listening intently as disturbing details were discussed.
Detectives found parts of Rick's body floating down a canal near the condo he shared with his tightly packed in a suitcase. Ricks torso was found near his home wrapped in a sheet under a pile of palm fronds.
"There was several layers of dirt shells, and vegetation that were accompanied with the body parts," a forensic specialist said. "There were fingernails."
Once detectives entered the condo Rick shared with his son Matthew, they were confronted with a strong bleach odor. One witness described the smell so strong it made her eyes water.
Other than the strong odor emerging from the rooms, the condo did not have any immediate evidence a crime scene. Forensic specialists, however, using a Blue Star, a forensic latent blood detection tool found revelations of blood stains on a closet, master bedroom, and a heavy presence in the master bathroom. The tool is used by crime investigators and is used to reveal blood stains that have been washed out, wiped off or which are invisible to the naked eye.
Matthew Marshall had the opportunity to cross-examine several forensic specialists at one point asking to walk him through the different stages of decomposition of a body.
The state has rested after hours of presenting evidence and questioning. The trial will resume Wednesday Oct. 10.
