Murder Victim was Beaten

The autopsy on a Westminster man missing since December reveals he died of blunt force trauma. That’s according to Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis. The body of 61 year old Richard Alan Marszalek was found Friday in the rubble of a burned mobile home. He was reported missing by his niece a week earlier. Coroner Addis performed the autopsy Sunday morning. Addis says the autopsy reveals blunt force trauma to the head, consistent with being beaten by someone. Marszalek’s residence at 141 West Spearman Road, Westminster caught fire January 4. His body was discovered in an area of the home where there was no direct fire damage, and Addis says the body did not sustain any thermal injuries. The Oconee County Sheriff’s department has charged two men with murder in connection with the incident. Twenty-eight year old Joshua Michael Fulbright of 303 S. Isundega Street and 27 year old Patrick Grant Covone of 141 West Spearman Road, both of Westminster, have been charged with murder in the death of 61 year old Richard Alan Marszalek of the West Spearman Road address.  Investigators believe that Marszalek was killed during an altercation that investigators believe occurred sometime between December 27th and December 29th of last year at the West Spearman Road location.  The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is continuing their investigation.