Authorities have arrested five people and filed multiple felony charges in connection with the killing of a Muskogee man, whose body was discovered last fall along the Arkansas River in Van Buren, Ark.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) confirmed that the homicide occurred in Muldrow and that the investigation led to arrests in both Oklahoma and Arkansas following weeks of coordinated law enforcement efforts.
Officers with the Van Buren Police Department were first alerted around 5 p.m. on Nov. 14 after a caller reported a possible body near the south end of Lee Creek Drive, close to the Arkansas River. Responding officers located a deceased man later identified by the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory as 30-year-old Derek C. Marshall, of Muskogee.
Investigators immediately classified the case as a homicide. An autopsy revealed Marshall died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Authorities later disclosed that Marshall had been bound with duct tape, wrapped in a tarp and shot, and that his body was transported and left near the river.
On Nov. 17, the Van Buren Police Department requested assistance from OSBI. Through the investigation, agents determined Marshall was killed several days earlier, on Nov. 5, in Muldrow.
Based on evidence gathered, investigators have identified five suspects.
Danny Wayne Goad, 59, of Muskogee, has been charged with firstdegree murder with deliberate intent and possession of a firearm after a former felony conviction.
Prosecutors allege Goad unlawfully and with malice aforethought shot Marshall, inflicting fatal injuries that caused his death between Nov. 5 and 6.
Court records show a felony arrest warrant for Goad was issued Nov. 25 in Sequoyah County District Court, ordering that he be held without bond.
If convicted of firstdegree murder, Goad faces a possible sentence of death, life imprisonment or life without the possibility of parole. The firearm charge stems from a prior 2001 felony conviction in Seminole County and carries a potential penalty of one to 10 years in prison.
Goad was already in custody at the Muskogee County Jail on unrelated charges when the new charges were filed.
In addition to Goad, Jason Quick, 46; Jerry Pratt, 56; and Rhonda Jeremiah, 56, were arrested and booked into the Sequoyah County Jail on charges of accessory after the fact. Nathern England, 56, was also booked into the jail on charges of obstructing an officer in connection with the homicide investigation.
OSBI said the arrests followed extensive cooperation between multiple agencies, including the Van Buren Police Department, Sequoyah County Sheriff ’s Office and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service.
