FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
February 13, 2014
For More Information, contact:
Luther Strange
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Alabama Attorney General
Claire Haynes (334) 242-7351
Page 1 of 1
AG STRANGE ANNOUNCES INDICTMENT
FOR 2009 RAPE IN SHELBY COUNTY
(MONTGOMERY)–Attorney General Luther Strange announced the arrest
today of a Utah man on charges of first-degree rape in Shelby County for a 2009 cold
case that was recently investigated and brought before a grand jury. Michael Francis
Marullo, 36, formerly of Shelby County, surrendered on January 25 at the Shelby
County Sheriff’s Office.
Special Agents of Attorney General Strange’s Cold Case Unit presented evidence
to a Shelby County grand jury on December 13, 2013, resulting in Marullo’s
indictment*. Specifically, the indictment charges Marullo with first-degree rape on
August 1 or 2, 2009, of a woman who was physically helpless or mentally incapacitated.
No further information about the investigation or about Marullo’s alleged crime
other than that stated in the indictment may be released at this time. If convicted,
Marullo faces a maximum penalty of 10 years to life imprisonment for the class A
felony.
The Cold Case Unit is a project within the Attorney General’s Office, in
partnership with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, to investigate violent
sexual crimes that previously had been closed due to lack of investigative leads. This
program is funded by a grant from the U.S Department of Justice.
Attorney General Strange commended Special Agents of his Cold Case Unit for
their investigation. He also thanked the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the
Shelby County District Attorney’s Office, which will prosecute the Marullo case.
*An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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501 Washington Avenue * Montgomery, AL 36104 * (334) 242-7300
www.ago.state.al.us
