It started with an argument over a dog. It ended with a smoking revolver and Old Town resident Rolf Marshall dead at the hands of his wife, Paula Thompson-Marshall.
On April 20, Thompson-Marshall was found guilty of murder in the second degree and use of a firearm in the commission of a murder. On the morning of Oct. 5, 2016, the couple had been arguing over whether their aging dog should be euthanized. During the argument, Thompson-Marshall brandished a .38 caliber revolver and shot her husband while he sat in his chair. During the trial it was noted that Marshall had been sitting in a defensive posture when he was struck in the torso, damaging several internal organs and resulting in his death. Thompson-Marshall called the police and told them the shooting was accidental, a claim the defense continued to push during the trial, but one ultimately rejected by the jury. Thompson-Marshall was convicted on both felony counts and the jury recommended she serve 11 years for murder and 3 years for the use of a firearm in the commission of a murder. Formal sentencing will be held on July 13.