BURLINGTON, N.C. — The Burlington Police Department is looking for a man who failed to appear in court after being convicted of first-degree murder.
47-year-old Litego Marshall was charged with first-degree murder related to an incident on Dec. 20, 2017. That day, officers found a man from Virginia with a gunshot wound on the 600 block of Ross Street in Burlington. Leonidas Brown eventually died from his injuries.
The family of Leonidas Brown has dealt with this horrific incident for years.
Brown was a father, a cousin, and a son.
The murder happened back in 2017 but the trial didn't start until last week.
The family thought after the conviction they could finally start to heal. Now, they say that process won't start until Marshall is caught.
Brown's cousin's, Horace Flannigan and Nathan Williams talked about where their heads at following Marshall's escape.
Flannigan said he feels, "a hurricane of feelings. From, you know, fear, there's a murderous fugitive on the loose. And Anger. This should have been simple to me. It shouldn't have taken this long. It's been 7 years for this trial to even come to fruition."
Williams added, "it's a continuous healing process, but you know that the conviction, it helped, but it also didn't because he's still loose."
According to a press release, 47-year-old Litego Dariyonta Marshall "fled prior to sentencing" after he was found guilty of first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon.
Police say Marshall is approximately 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds. He has multiple tattoos on his arms and chest, including "TEGO" on his chest. Marshall was last seen driving a silver 2008 Mercedez Benz C350 near Graham.
Police say Marshall is known to frequent both Burlington and Greensboro.
If a community member observes Marshall, they are instructed to call 911 immediately and provide his name, location and clothing description. If anyone has information about his whereabouts, contact the Burlington Police Department at 336-229-3500.
According to District Attorney Sean Boone, Marshall was out of custody on a $500,000 secured bond (a bond is required by law in all non-capital cases).
Boone added that on Dec. 13, Marshall failed to return to court during his trial. After this, an order for his arrest was issued, and the trial proceeded in his absence. He was convicted Monday and will face sentencing when he is apprehended.
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