Crime

Horrific Murder Uncovered in TX: Man Charged After Best Friend’s Body Dismembered

HOUSTON (AP) — Police who found a man’s dismembered body outside a vacant house, with the head and an arm stuffed into a trash bag and the rest of his remains in a backyard next door, arrested his best friend Monday for murder.

Neighbors and family members say the two men had been best friends for years and a possible argument over money might have led to the slaying.

The body of Marlon Thomas, 35, was found about 7 p.m. Sunday in the backyard of a fenced, burned home in Houston’s Fifth Ward, a historically black neighborhood east of downtown.

Police said Thomas’ friend, Noe Morin, 32, who lived in an apartment in the home next door, killed him. They took Morin into custody Sunday night and charged him Monday afternoon. Online court records did not indicate he had an attorney.

Horrific Murder Uncovered in TX: Man Charged After Best Friends Body Dismembered

Noe Morin

Thomas’ head and an arm were found in a black trash bag behind the home where Morin was staying with a family friend. A chainsaw was next to the bag, which was behind cinderblocks that supported the home. The rest of Thomas’ body, with a partially severed arm, was found in a backyard next door that was full of overgrown weeds and trash.

“That’s his best friend for over 20 years,” said Thomas’ sister, Tonya Dangerfield, after she tied a bouquet of purple and silver birthday balloons to the chain link fence that surrounded the backyard where her brother’s body was found. She said her brother would have turned 36 on June 9. “Why did (Morin) do that? Why would you do something like this?

An autopsy has been ordered and a cause of death is still pending for Thomas.

Mae Land, 87, who lived in the two-bedroom apartment with Morin said he was a friend of her late son and had been staying with her about four months. Thomas also would stay there from time to time. Both men paid Land some money to help with the rent.

Neighbors said the two men would often be found sitting on the front steps of the apartment located in a brown row house.

“Every single day, they were out there,” said Brittney Johnson, who lived in the apartment next door. She added that sometimes the two men would be joined by Morin’s sons, who were visiting their father. “That‘s why it’s really so shocking because they were friends.”

Land said she is in the process of moving out of the apartment and was not there most of this past weekend.

Crystal Burks, who lives across the street, said Morin was known “to have a temper.” She said she and other neighbors heard the two men arguing Saturday night and later heard gunshots.

“Gun shots, we hear that every day so we didn’t pay that much attention,” Burks said.

While neighbors said the two men might have had a falling out over money, police wouldn’t comment on a motive.

While police found a chainsaw next to the bag with some of Thomas’ remains, Burks and other neighbors said they never heard a chainsaw being used during the weekend.

Burks called 911 and Johnson’s husband went to investigate the backyard next door after people in the neighborhood, which is made up of older row houses and newly built townhomes, started saying there might be a body there.

Johnson said after police arrived, she saw one officer open a bag in a trash can in Land’s backyard and then exclaim, “Oh my God, it’s the head.”

“I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. It was like I was watching an episode of ‘The First 48’ right before my eyes,” Johnson said, referring to a reality cable show that follows the first 48 hours of homicide investigations.

Dangerfield said her brother was a good person who worked in construction.

“He didn’t deserve to get this done to him,” she said.

Comments (41)

  • crapgame
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 9:32pm

    Just a sad commentary on todays society. The world is truly a dangerous place, and getting worse every day. Just another reason why I carry all the time, dont bring a chain saw to a gun fight with Me! Ya know what im sayin.

    Report Post »  
  • Ghandi was a Republican
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 4:56pm

    Usually the illegals just kick the blacks out of the neighborhoods they invade.. They must be running out of neighborhoods to stuff them in so now they are using trash bags,,

    Report Post » Ghandi was a Republican  
  • Onemanclan
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 4:22pm

    Great news!

    Report Post » Onemanclan  
  • bluntforce
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 3:39pm

    I’m sure his ACLU appointed liar will show how the victim, because of Global Warming, accidently fell into the chainsaw that Morin was operating and due to the Arizona immigration laws and the oil company tax breaks, Morin was justified when he buried Mr. Thomas in the backyard. Case closed! Next!

    Report Post » bluntforce  
    • loadingmyclips
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 6:15pm

      NAHHHHHHHHHHH Thomas was porkin‘ morin’s old lady or daughter, what else could it be??

      Report Post » loadingmyclips  
  • nomercy63
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 3:36pm

    Oh those peace loving immigrants seeking freedom and peace aw shucks what would we do without these folks

    Report Post »  
  • pap pap
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 3:30pm

    After the autopsy they will determine that it was the worst case of suicide they ever saw.

    Report Post »  
  • windycitywoman
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 2:44pm

    Lord help us all, there are more “out” then there are “in”!

    Report Post » windycitywoman  
  • commonsenseguy
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 2:27pm

    heard gun shots,be around here you don’t pay attention,because it happens all the time, so no one heard a chain saw, because around here that happens all the time, you live in the city, like 25 feet from each other, not the country, look next time, hell, if i lived in a place like that, i would be moving asap, sad,it went down like that, over money.

    Report Post »  
  • NOBALONEY
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 1:59pm

    sic

    Report Post » NOBALONEY  
  • TheGreyPiper
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 1:28pm

    Lover’s quarrel?

    Report Post » TheGreyPiper  
  • cktheman
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 1:26pm

    Best Friend? Man, i’d hate to see what this guys enemies were like.

    Report Post »  
  • endgamer
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 1:13pm

    It’s just another sensationalized story that should be buried.. Reason: Copycats! People do this crap for the FAME whether its life in prison or the death penalty. The perp got his 15 mins of fame, and a lifetime playing bend over bubba! His best friend was probably his enemy all along.. You know the term, “Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer”.

    Report Post » endgamer  
  • MOLLYPITCHER
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 1:07pm

    There was a similar case here in Maine, about five years ago I think. For some reason it never made national headlines, and the sick pig who killed and dismembered the three people is still rotting in either jail or a mental health facility.Unfortunately, Maine has no death penalty. So since this is in Texas, there is more hope of this sicko getting the punishment he deserves.

    Report Post »  
  • trooper
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 12:57pm

    At least the suspect respected his victim enough to store his body parts in the surroundings he felt at home with, weed and trash.

    Report Post »  
  • trooper
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 12:53pm

    Good news, one obama voter down in the ground and one in prision, keep up the good work.

    Report Post »  
  • let us prey
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 12:53pm

    Looks like sinaloa cartel. Who else besides Hamas cuts people up?

    Report Post » let us prey  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 12:51pm

    They are all just hard working, family oriented immigrants looking for a better life. Yea right. Build the damned fence… and yes a mote and alligators if that’s what it takes to seal the border Barry.

    Report Post » Gonzo  
  • trooper
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 12:43pm

    It sounds like something that would happen in Mexico, oh wait I meant Texaco. A fine example of what obama is importing an an alarming rate to build up his votes in the next election.

    Report Post »  
  • Rickfromillinois
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 12:37pm

    Maybe he wanted to keep his best friend around. Some here, some there, a little everywhere.

    Report Post » Rickfromillinois  
  • Eric_The_Red_State
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 12:35pm

    When this kind of thing ceases to become horrific. We are lost.
    But when this sort of thing happens daily – it ceases to become horrific.
    Hence – we are lost.

    A man had 2 dogs – one called “Good” and one called “Evil” – and they get in to a fight to the death.
    Which one wins?
    The one you feed.

    UNLESS we STAND UP and stop feeding the wrong dog!

    Report Post » Eric_The_Red_State  
  • Sam Brown
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 12:33pm

    Looks like a member of Hamas.

    Sam

    Report Post »  
  • Mannax
    Posted on May 17, 2011 at 12:33pm

    It seems events like this are becoming more and more common place. It is as if the world is spinning apart at the seams.

    Report Post »  
    • Dustyluv
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 12:43pm

      The Fifth Ward in Houston has a high black MUSLIM influence also. I would not rule out a connection. Its a tough neighborhood full of gangs too.

      Report Post »  
    • Stoic one
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 12:49pm

      I would submit, that these types if incidents are NOT becoming more common. Two other factors I see as being more relevant. First the flow/availability of information is rapid now; second, as a PERCENTAGE of population there is not a rise, over all gross numbers perhaps.

      Report Post » Stoic one  
    • Gold Coin & Economic News
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 1:07pm

      I’m not thinking this was exactly his best friend. So sad, so twisted. The world has gone mad.

      Report Post » Gold Coin & Economic News  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 1:09pm

      @Mannax:

      Good point, the fact is the world is coming undone at the seams; the times have been changing for a long time now, and people are having to adjust rapidly to a shifting new parodime as stresses mount, along with the fact there is so many means to rapidly spread news around the nation and the world of any event like this happening.

      It may be ultimatly that such events have always been going on, it is just now that the means of letting the news get out is so much easier.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • anutter
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 1:15pm

      “Gun shots, we hear that every day so we didn’t pay that much attention”

      Sounds like where I’m from.

      Report Post »  
    • GODSAMERICA
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 1:20pm

      Morin, is that an illegal alien’s name?

      Report Post » GODSAMERICA  
    • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 1:42pm

      It doesn’t say whether Noe is a US citizen or not. I know every story doesn’t usually say that, but stories from border states do.

      Report Post » Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
    • Showtime
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 2:11pm

      Who needs enemies, with a friend like that?

      Report Post » Showtime  
    • HillBillySam1
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 2:22pm

      This is why best friends of 20 years or more should never watch “Scarface” together……

      Report Post »  
    • bassist237
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 2:27pm

      Well, that is a sure fire way not to get ahead in life.

      Report Post » bassist237  
    • Marengo Ohio Patriot
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 4:32pm

      “Gun shots, we hear that every day so we didn’t pay that much attention”
      And
      Houston’s Fifth Ward, a historically black neighborhood east of downtown.
      hmmm…. who would have ever thunk it???????

      Report Post »  
    • Devil Dog 7175
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 6:12pm

      Lovers spat?

      Report Post » Devil Dog 7175  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on May 17, 2011 at 6:17pm

      let the TSA handle it
      http://www.infowars.com/tsa-responds-to-texas-resistance-is-futile/

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  

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