Man May Have Been Slain Before His Home Burned

A man whose body was found burned almost beyond recognition may have been killed before fire destroyed the cottage in which he lived, authorities said Sunday.

Joseph Marien, 33, was discovered Saturday morning in his bed after firefighters extinguished the fire on the 12200 block of Califa Street. Upon examining the body, coroner’s officials found he had suffered massive trauma wounds to his upper body, injuries not consistent with a fire-related death, according to Los Angeles Police Sgt. Dean Haynes.

“Right now we are treating this like a homicide,” Haynes said. “It looks like the fire was set in order to cover up the murder.”

The owner of the guest house described Marien, who worked as a test engineer for the Rocketdyne company in Canoga Park, as “shy and reclusive.”

“He was a very gentle man, that’s why it’s so hard to believe,” said Dana Marley, who has lived in the main house on the property for five years. “I can’t imagine him crossing lines with anybody to make them so angry.”

“He always had a kind word,” added Brian Kolb, who lives with Marley in the main house.

Marley said Marien was already living in the guest house--a studio adjacent to a garage at the rear of the property--when she moved into the main house as a renter five years ago. At the time, the houses, on a quiet, well-kept street just off Laurel Canyon Boulevard--were owned by Marien’s brother and sister.

Marley purchased the property three years ago and Marien stayed on as a renter. Marley and Kolb were out of town at the time of the fire.

Other than his brother, Marien had few visitors, according to his landlord.

“He was very shy,” said Marley. “He kept to himself a lot. He was a very amiable man.”