Charles Boshell tried to convince the Escambia County Sheriff's Office that his girlfriend committed suicide.
But four months after Caroline Marbury-Smart's decomposing body was found in a closet at her Pensacola Beach condo, Boshell faces a charge of murder.
Boshell, 46, of the 4400 block of Mobile Highway in Pensacola was booked into the Escambia County Jail on Monday after being extradited from Louisiana.
Marbury-Smart, 54, was the daughter of the late William and Virginia Marbury of Ruston, La., who were also generous supporters of Louisiana Tech University. The school's alumni center is named for the Marburys.
Tragedy loomed in Marbury-Smart's life for many years, those close to her told The News-Star of Monroe, La. They said she long had fought addiction and mental illness, and her son committed suicide last year.
Escambia County deputies found Marbury-Smart's body in a bedroom closet under boxes and suitcases at her Starboard Village condo on July 22.
The officers had gone to the condo after Boshell called law enforcement to say he was in North Carolina but had received a call that there was a foul odor coming from the condo.
When contacted by officers, Boshell claimed he'd been in North Carolina since July 14, but that Marbury-Smart had called him and said she was suicidal. Phone records later would reveal he was in Louisiana at about that time.
In July, Boshell was arrested in Ocean Springs, Miss., on unrelated warrants out of Louisiana. Escambia County investigators talked with him while he was in jail there.
Boshell told them that he found Marbury-Smart dead in the condo when he returned from working in Louisiana. He said she had a belt around her neck and was hanging from a ceiling fan in the master bedroom. He said he used a knife from the kitchen to cut her down.
"Boshell stated that he placed Caroline Marbury-Smart in the closet in the master bedroom and did not call the police because he was not thinking right," according to the officers' report.
When deputies went to the apartment to check out Boshell's story, the ceiling fan was working properly and there was no damage to it.
"The fan showed no signs of supporting the weight of a person for a period of time," the report states.
Deputies found a belt in the bedroom. The belt had not been cut, but it did appear to have blood on it, according to the report.
An autopsy report said Marbury-Smart's body showed no signs of hanging by the neck, according to the report.
Deputies also located a friend of Marbury-Smart's, Wanda Bosso. She told them Marbury-Smart often expressed fear of Boshell.
"Wanda, please, if you ever find me missing or dead, please tell them Charlie killed me," Bosso reported her friend saying.
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