Murder charge dismissed

At the pre-trial level, the charge of murder has been dismissed against one of two Oconee defendants. Magistrate Will Derrick has confirmed that, in a preliminary hearing Friday, he threw out the case of murder against Patrick Grant Covone—one of two men charged with the murder of Richard Alan Marszalek in late December. Magistrates hold preliminary hearings to assess whether state evidence is sufficient to bind a case over to the General Sessions Court. A second man, Joshua Michael Fulbright, remains charged with murder in the case.