Suspect indicted in killing of Beau Zabel

PHILADELPHIA Marcellus Jones, the suspected killer of Beau Zabel, a teaching student from Minnesota who was gunned down for his iPod near the Italian Market nearly six years ago, was indicted Monday on murder charges.

The indictment, issued by a grand jury, means Jones, 35, already serving a life sentence for killing his suspected getaway driver, will stand trial for allegedly shooting Zabel once in the neck as he walked home from his night shift at a Starbucks in June 2008.

Zabel, a teaching fellow enrolled at Drexel, had lived in Philadelphia for only six weeks before he was killed. Jones, according to a December arrest report, showed friends Zabel's iPod shortly after the killing, saying he pulled the trigger because he was angry that he did not get anything more from the robbery.

In 2012, Jones was convicted of killing Tyrek Taylor, a 19-year-old from South Philadelphia who police say was driving Jones the night Zabel was killed.

Jones, according to police, told a friend that Taylor "had to go" because he might be "snitching."

Because of concerns that there could be further witness intimidation, prosecutors chose to present the case against Jones to a secret indicting grand jury, instead of in open court.

A trial date has not yet been set.

Given Taylor's murder, and that Zabel was killed during the course of a robbery - a felony - Jones could face the death penalty.

The District Attorney's Office has yet to say whether they will pursue capital punishment.