FLAGSTAFF – On Tuesday, January 13, 2015 Marvin Curley entered a guilty pela to the first Degree Murder of David Allen Christine in Coconino County Superior Court Division 3. Superior Court Judge Mark Moran sentenced Marvin Curley to natural life in prison.

On Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at about 5:30 a.m. the Flagstaff Police Department/Coconino County Sheriff’s 911 Dispatch Center received a call from a motorist who was traveling on Leupp Road (FS 505). According to the reporting party, he was in the area located just east of Star School when he observed what he believed to be a body off of the roadway in the dirt.

During the initial investigation a detective who was at the scene observed indications of foul play. There were no forms of identification on the victim, and detectives received information causing them to believe the individual frequented several homeless shelters in Flagstaff. Investigators interviewed multiple clients of several homeless centers in Flagstaff in an attempt to identify the victim but met with no results.

Fingerprints were taken from the deceased and with the assistance of the United States Marshals Office the prints were submitted to a federal forensic laboratory that provides results in a short period of time. The results of the fingerprint analysis identified the body to be that of 56 year-old David Allen Christine of Flagstaff. Subsequently Flagstaff Police Officers located a white Plymouth mini-van registered to the victim parked outside a local motel. During the investigation Detectives identified and interviewed several investigative leads that developed Marvin Curley as a possible suspect. A combination of statements made and evidence collected and analyzed lead to the arrest of Marvin Curley.