CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- A man accused of gruesomely murdering his father appeared in court, Monday, for the first day of his trial, where he is defending himself.
Cape Coral Police arrested Matthew Marshall back in April for the murder and dismemberment of his father, James 'Rick' Marshall.
Matthew wore a dark blue suit and striped tie at the Lee County Court House, where he seemed flustered questioning witnesses.
The state brought in family and close friends to ask about Rick and Matthews relationship. A close friend said Rick's demeanor changed when talking about his son. "He would be shaken, upset, afraid, he would cry," she said.
One of Rick's best friends described fears Rick had when living with his son. He recalled at one time, Rick would prop up a chair against his bedroom door at night for protection. He said he was concerned when Rick wasn't returning his phone calls.
Meanwhile, Matthew questioned the timeline of his fathers whereabouts around the time went missing, suggesting the body found may not even belong to Rick.
However, detectives are already positive they correctly identified the body, which was found floating inside a suitcase, in the canal next to the Marshall's condo. Those detectives also took the stand, saying Matthew became aggravated when asked about his fathers suitcases. "We noticed he was kind of shaky and his voice was cracking when he was talking to us."
Matthew asked the detective what he thinks the motive for the murder could possibly be. The detective responded saying Matthew has anger issues. "You have anger issues, when your dad wouldn't give you money, it caused you to do what you did," he said.
The trial will continue on Tuesday. Check back with Fox 4 for developments.
