The Elderly Grandparents Fell Asleep Then a Cell Phone and a Drinking Glass Were Forced Into Their Bodies

The tragic case of the hero that turned villain

Laura peeped through her parents’ window.

The house was covered in blood. The couch, carpet, and furniture had been tainted red.

Claudia and Oliver's bodies were found dissected, eviscerated, and mutilated.

Their abdomens had been slit open, and a cell phone forced inside Claudia’s abdomen and a drinking glass in Oliver’s.

Claudia Was Seventy-Six

Claudia Maupin was a seventy-six-year-old grandmother from Davis, California, USA.

She was ever-smiling and good-hearted.

Claudia enjoyed spending time with young people. This filled her with energy and love. She was loved by many due to her ability to make people feel special.

Claudia had divorced twice when she fell in love with Oliver Northup, also known as Chip.

Oliver was an attorney, a talented musician, and a war veteran. He was very respected in his community.

Oliver and Claudia were both active members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis. Oliver was a founding member, while Claudia was a pastoral associate.

Oliver had also divorced several times. He was eleven years older than Claudia.

The two bonded over their shared failed marriages and found love in each other again.

Oliver and Claudia got married. Their wedding was a large ceremony that filled up the church with family, friends, and church members.

The couple blended their families together, which included a total of eleven children, fourteen grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

Their marriage was admired by many.

Oliver and Claudia Retired To Bed

Oliver and Claudia said good night to each other on April 13th, 2013.

The next day was a Sunday, and they looked forward to going to church together. But neither Oliver nor Claudia made it to church.

The couple’s family tried calling the couple but got no response. They thought that Oliver and Claudia were too tired and slept in.

Oliver didn’t show up for a musical gig that afternoon. This got one of his sons, Robert, worried.

Robert visited Oliver and Claudia’s home. He rang the doorbell, but no one answered the door.

Robert had a key to the couple’s house. But he decided not to invade their privacy and left.

Oliver’s daughter, Laura, stopped by Oliver and Claudia’s house later that day. Laura rang the doorbell but got no response. She made her way to the back of the house.

The back window was open, and its screen was cut. Laura looked inside.

She noticed a lot of blood inside the house. The couch, carpet, and other furniture had turned red.

Laura called the police.

Oliver and Claudia Were Dead

The police found Oliver and Claudia were found murdered on their bed.

Oliver had sixty-one stab wounds, while Claudia had sixty-seven.

Their bodies were slashed open. A cell phone was placed inside Claudia’s abdomen, and a drinking glass was inside Oliver’s abdomen.

There were organs that had been cut from their bodies.

A cold-hearted killer was on the loose.

The killer left no evidence behind, no DNA, fingerprints, or footprints. Nothing was stolen from the couple’s home.

The investigators didn’t know if they were dealing with one killer or more.

They decided to look into the people who were close to the couple. Oliver and Claudia’s family members were called in for questioning.

The police suspected Robert since he had a key to the couple’s home. They believed he had staged the scene by cutting the screen so he wouldn’t be suspected.

The investigators also suspected Robert’s sons because one of the sons battled with schizophrenia.

All the suspects were cooperative. The police also didn’t find anything against them.

The Police Received A Tip

The police received a phone call from an anonymous person one night.

Dispatcher: What are you reporting?

Caller: uh, double homicide.

The caller stated that his best friend, Daniel William Marsh, was the killer. The caller turned out to be a seventeen-year-old named Alvaro.

Daniel got the American Red Cross Heroes Award after he had used CPR to save his father from a heart attack as a child.

Daniel was sixteen at the time he was accused of Oliver and Claudia’s murders.

Oliver and Claudia were murdered during a time when Daniel’s father was their neighbor. Daniel’s mother also lived near the couple’s house.

The police brought in Alvaro for further questioning.

Alvaro stated that Daniel told him about how he always felt like killing someone. He also stated that Daniel told him he wanted to see Oliver and Claudia’s insides, so he cut them open.

Daniel had also tried to pluck out one of the couple’s eyes with a knife to see what it looked like, but he found it difficult to remove it.

Alvaro knew details about the murders that hadn’t been made public. That made the police suspect that Alvaro was the killer.

The Police Brought in Daniel for Questioning

Daniel was called for questioning.

He let the police in on how he believed he was a sociopath and a psychopath because he didn’t feel sympathy for other people.

Daniel became very angry at life after his parents separated when he was a child.

He swore that he was going to kill the woman that his mother had an affair with. He also began hurting himself.

Daniel then began having dreams in which he murdered people.

He told his therapist that he fantasized about human torture and murder.

Daniel was diagnosed with adjustment disorder and depressive disorder. He was prescribed antidepressants. He was later diagnosed with emotional disturbance and dissociative disorder.

Daniel’s violent fantasies grew intense as he approached his teenage years. He saw flashes of killing in his head every time he looked at someone.

On April 13th, he struck.

Daniel taped the bottom of his shoes and wore gloves so that he wouldn’t leave any evidence behind.

He went around Davis looking for his target, knife in hand. He went to almost fifty homes, but he couldn’t find an easy way inside any of them.

Oliver and Claudia’s Back Window Was Open

Daniel found an open window at Oliver and Claudia’s house.

He slashed the screen and jumped inside into the living room.

Daniel waited until he heard the couple snoring. Then, he felt nervous and excited as he made his way to his victims’ master bedroom.

Claudia woke up and saw Daniel standing over their bed. She let out a frantic scream. Daniel began stabbing her, motivated by her pleas for him to stop.

Oliver woke up during the chaos. Daniel turned to him and began stabbing him repeatedly.

Daniel mutilated the couple’s bodies. He cut them open to perform his experiments and examinations.

He removed some of their organs and placed foreign objects in their abdomens.

The Aftermath

Daniel requested to be sent to a psychiatric hospital.

The authorities arrested him nonetheless and charged him with double murder.

Daniel pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

The jury concluded that Daniel was mentally sane when he committed the murders. They found him guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, among other charges.

Daniel received fifty-two years to life in prison plus an additional two years for other charges.

He will be eligible for parole after twenty-five years behind bars.

“There is no question that the crimes here were committed by a psychopath who was also suffering a mental illness.

The more difficult question is whether Marsh is still a psychopath with criminal desires and whether that personality trait can be rehabilitated.” — A judge stated.

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Sources: wikipedia.org, thecinemaholic.com