Man charged with murder after police find dead girlfriend in his car
A man who was the subject of a domestic violence restraining order by his girlfriend two years ago in Riverside County was arrested this week and charged in the woman’s killing, authorities said.
Court records show that Cassandra Taylor, 32, successfully petitioned for a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Vincent James Marples in the summer of 2015. About three weeks later, her request for a permanent restraining order was dismissed. No reason was listed on the county court website.
On Tuesday, a relative of Marples’ phoned Hemet police with a grisly report: Marples had just called and said Taylor was dead but didn’t provide any details.
The relative told officers where Marples was known to hang out: a dusty patch of terrain off Gibble Road and State Street. With the assistance of a Riverside County Sheriff’s helicopter, officers spotted Marples’ vehicle and went to investigate. They found Marples in the car, along with Taylor’s dead body.
The pair had been in the area “for some time,” officials said, and had gotten into an altercation that ended with Marples’ killing Taylor, but authorities did not provide any other details.
Marples was taken into custody without incident, they said.
A Riverside County judge had issued an arrest warrant for Marples just weeks earlier, after he violated probation for failing to appear for a felony weapons case, court records show. He also previously was convicted of domestic violence and possessing a zip gun and ordered to take anger management classes.
Marples is charged with murder and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday afternoon. He is being held without bail.
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.
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