Biloxi man sentenced in murder of his father

Biloxi, Mississippi – 43-year-old Noble Van-Leigh Marske, II, of Biloxi, Mississippi pled guilty today to Second-Degree Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence in the death of his father, Van Leigh Marske.

The murder occurred in September 2021. Marske was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Bourgeois to a total of 45 years, 20 years suspended, leaving 25 years to serve in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

According to Assistant District Attorney George Huffman, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the State, Biloxi police officers responded to a verbal altercation on September 8, 2021 on Seal Avenue.

The argument occurred in front of the victim’s house that he shared with the Defendant. When officers arrived, the victim’s employer and the Defendant were yelling at one another.

The employer had not seen the victim in five days and accused the Defendant of harming him. Officers walked inside of the house and found the victim’s wallet, keys and cell phone.

The victim’s truck was also parked in the back yard, but the victim was nowhere to be found. Officers could smell a foul odor coming from a work shed in the back yard.

The Defendant denied knowing where his father was and told officers that he had been fishing for the last few days in Hancock County. He showed officers where he had been fishing on a map. The Defendant was also found to have small cuts all over his legs consistent with walking in tall grass.

Based upon this information, officers went to Hancock County and searched the area described by the Defendant in a boat. Officers located a path that was recently created in the marsh approximately a quarter mile away from where the Defendant had been fishing. With the use of cadaver dogs, officers were able to locate the victims’ body in a shallow grave.

An autopsy revealed that the victim died as a result of blunt trauma to his neck.

At the time, the Defendant denied any involvement in his father’s death.

During his plea, the Defendant admitted that he and his father got into a fight on the night of his murder. The Defendant stated that as his father lunged at him, he got him in a headlock and his father fell to the floor and died.

The Defendant stated that his father had two previous neck surgeries due to an injury he sustained years earlier. The Defendant blamed meth use for the decision to drive his father’s body to Hancock County and bury him in the marsh.

Prior to imposing his sentence, Judge Bourgeois reminded the Defendant that drugs are not a defense or excuse for killing his father. District Attorney Crosby Parker stated that “this is an absolutely tragic case that is made worse by the Defendant’s callous attempt at a cover up. I commend the determination and tenacity of the Biloxi police officers and investigators for not giving up on the search for the victim. It is because of their hard work that we were able to hold this Defendant accountable for his actions.”