Steubenville, OH: Man Charged In Wife's Death; Records Show Couple's Troubled Past

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio -- A man accused of shooting and killing his wife during a domestic dispute was arraigned on a murder charge Monday morning.
Marlon Alphonso Lawrence, 40, had tears running down his face as a judge read the accusation against him.
"He did personally cause the death of another, the person being Angela Lawrence," said Judge David Scarpone.
The victim, Marlon Lawrence's 32-year-old wife, was found inside their home at 1441 Maryland Ave. around 1:30 a.m. Friday.
Police Chief Bill McCafferty said an officer received a call from a person who believed a woman had been shot inside her home. A police officer entered the home through an open side window and found Angela Lawrence unresponsive, lying in a pool of blood.
Marlon Lawrence turned himself in to police later on Friday.
Angela Lawrence's MySpace page shows a happy couple, but police records show another side. As recently as this month, a report shows Angela called police claiming the two had been fighting for days and asked about a protection order.
"(Their relationship) was decent at first. Every relationship has its problems," said Amanda Vankirk, Angela Lawrence's sister.
Arrest records show Marlon and Angela Lawrence had a history of domestic violence. Angela Lawrence was arrested nine times started in 2000, including one arrest for domestic violence in 2008. Other charges included assault, menacing and criminal mischief.
Marlon Lawrence was arrested 13 times during that same period, including three domestic violence charges.
Emotions ran high during the arraignment, and family members recounted the night Angela Lawrence was killed.
"She called me the night it happened -- 10:30 that night she called me and said they were fighting," said Sue Vankirk, the victim's aunt.
Another one of Angela Lawrence's aunts, Karen Fullerton, said, "I never thought I would have to come up here for her funeral at 32 years old."
After the arraignment, Marlon Lawrence's family offered an apology.
"I'm very sorry about the situation that happened. It's hard for both of our families and we're here if they need us. We're here," said his sister, Mary Brown.
Lawrence did not enter a plea Monday because it is a felony case. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on April 29. In the meantime, he is being held at the Jefferson County Justice Center on $750,000 bond.
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