UPDATE: On Thursday, Circuit Judge Leah Case sentenced 24-year-old Jeremy Maruska to life in prison for 1st degree murder.
Maruska and 25-year-old Shawn Rupe are accused of killing 30-year-old Tharp who was found naked on top of the Peabody Auditorium back on November 3, 2012.
EARLIER REPORTING:
Volusia County, FL - A jury trial continues tomorrow for 24-year-old Jeremy Maruska. Earlier this year, Maruska pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder in the 2012 death of Dylan Tharp. The plea was withdrawn and Maruska could now be sentenced to life in prison.
The jury was chosen on Monday and testimony got underway today.
Police reports say that Maruska and 24-year-old Shawn Rupe beat Tharp to death on the roof of the Peabody Auditorium in November of 2012 because they believed him to be a police informant.
The court docket shows Rupe has a criminal hearing scheduled for September 9 with trial set to begin Sept 12.
Jeremy Maruska
(Photo courtesy of Volusia County Jail)
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