Life In Prison For NJ Man Who Shot Woman During Online Sale Meetup

WILLINGBORO, NJ - A Willingboro Township man was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the chance of parole for the fatal shooting of a woman during what was intended to be an online marketplace sale of the woman’s used cell phone.

Marvin A. Coleman Jr., 25, was previously convicted in March on charges of felony murder, robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and related offenses in connection with the shooting of Maribely Lopez, 21, during the item exchange in 2019.

“We are committed to bringing those who terrorize our citizens to justice,” Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said in a statement. “Today, a punishment worthy of this senseless killing was imposed. This defendant will have the rest of his time on earth to consider the life he took and the lives he ruined by doing so. Our deepest sympathy is extended to the family members and friends of the victim.”

Lopez, of Lindenwold, intended to sell her used cell phone to a man she met online using the marketplace app OfferUp on March 6, 2019, the prosecutor’s office said. She made arrangements to meet up with Coleman at a vacant house on Medley Lane, a short walk through a field from Coleman’s Marboro Lane home, police said.

Coleman ended up shooting Lopez through a partially opened driver’s side window during the meetup, police said.

Her body was discovered by police the following morning when they responded to reports of a woman in a parked car suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

She was found in her Ford Focus with the engine still running, police said. She was pronounced deceased on the scene.

An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood revealed that Lopez died from a single gunshot to the head.

Coleman was arrested during a traffic stop near his home Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.