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Man 'Executed' Woman He Met On Marketplace App To Buy Cellphone, Officials Say

WILLINGBORO, N.J. (CBS) -- A man has been arrested for the murder of 21-year-old Maribely Lopez, who was found dead inside of her car outside of a Willingboro home on March 6. Police have arrested and charged 20-year-old Marvin Coleman, of Willingboro, with murder and other related charges.

Investigators say Lopez was trying to sell an iPhone using the OfferUp app, a mobile marketplace where users can post, buy and sell items locally. The two had planned to meet outside of a vacant house on Medley Lane, which is a short walk from Coleman's home.

Instead, Coleman "executed" Lopez, firing one shot through the partially-opened driver's window, police say. An autopsy revealed Lopez was shot once in the head.

maribely lopez
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Family And Friends Gather To Remember 21-Year-Old Woman Killed In Willingboro

"The evidence points to this murder occurring during a planned OfferUp transaction," Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. "People selling items online to strangers should exercise appropriate caution, such as utilizing safe transaction zones that many of our local police departments maintain in the parking lots of their stations."

Coleman's home on Marlboro Lane was raided by investigators the night of the murder, where three vehicles were towed from the home. Officials say Coleman was taken into custody Tuesday following a traffic stop near his residence.

Lopez was from Lindenwold, about 30 minutes from where her body was discovered. A motive for the killing remains under investigation.

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