MARION COUNTY, Fla. – Deputies announced that a 47-year old man and a 37-year-old woman face charges in the death of a man found on the side of a Marion County road in June, according to a news release.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to the 7600 block of NW 77th Terrace, near West Highway 326, for a report of a dead person on the side of the road on June 27, 2023. The man was later identified as 41-year-old Wayne Barlow.
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Deputies said the man’s death appeared to be suspicious, but offered no additional details at the time.
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On Wednesday, deputies said that the cause of Barlow’s death was “a gunshot wound to the head, accompanied by evidence of strangulation and blunt force trauma.”
According to the release, Michael Rene Montgomery Jr. and Jessica Long face charges in Barlow’s death.
Deputies said their investigation revealed that Long and Montgomery planned to seal Barlow’s vehicle.
According to the release, Long drove while Montgomery attacked Barlow, leading to a struggle. Montgomery pulled Barlow from the vehicle and hit him with a pipe-like object.
Deputies said witnesses reported that Montgomery tried to run over Barlow before shooting him.
“Based on witness accounts and evidence, Detective Stith concluded that Long and Montgomery committed the act of murder during the commission of a robbery,” the release read in part.
According to the release, Long and Montgomery face a charge of murder while engaged in a robbery. Both are in the Marion County Jail and are being held with no bond.
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