Man found not guilty in Somerset murder case
A 29-year-old Salisbury man has been found not guilty in the Thanksgiving murder of Adrian Marshall in Princess Anne.
A Worcester County jury found Cory Hamilton not guilty Thursday on counts of first-degree murder, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, online court records show. There was no verdict on a count of firearm use in a felony or violent crime, because he wasn't found guilty of a felony or violent crime.
Counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, robbery and first-degree assault did not go to the jury; Hamilton was acquitted on those.
The trial had been moved to Worcester County on a change of venue from Somerset County. Marshall, 35, was murdered in the early morning of Thanksgiving Day 2013 at his Greenwood School Road home in Princess Anne.
Defense attorney Stephanie Shipley said Hamilton was interviewed by police in connection with this case three times, and he maintained each time he was not involved in Marshall's death.
She said the jury deliberated for about two hours on the last day of the three-day trial at Worcester County Circuit Court in Snow Hill. Members of both the Hamilton and Marshall families were there, she said.
"The Hamilton family feels very badly for the Marshall family," Shipley said. But, she added, "Mr. Hamilton had nothing to do with it."
Hamilton was released from jail and looks forward to getting back to work and getting back with his family, she said.
Somerset County State's Attorney Dan Powell wrote in an email, "I respect the verdict of the jury."
He declined to comment any further since there is another defendant in this case set for trial at the end of October.
Brandon Early has a trial scheduled on first-degree murder and 11 other counts in Dorchester County Circuit Court for Oct. 27-29. His case also had a change of venue.
Somerset County Assistant State's Attorney Wess Garner said in his opening statement Early was the one who fired the fatal shots at Marshall.
He'd alleged that Don Hanna Jr. and Cory Hamilton told Early and Raekwon Lee to go to the home for cash.
In May, Hanna was found guilty on counts of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, online court records show. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 29 in Somerset County Circuit Court.
Lee, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery in April, has a sentencing set for Nov. 17, online court records show. The remaining charges against him were placed on the inactive docket.
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