Homicide; 4200-block Reka Drive
Update on 10/25/23:
From the Attorney General’s Office:
On Tuesday, an Anchorage jury found Marley Jolie Marque, 32, guilty of murdering her 5-year-old son, Jobe Christensen, on Nov 20, 2020. She was also convicted of assaulting two Anchorage Police officers. The jury convicted Marque on the charges of Murder in the First Degree, Murder in the Second Degree, Manslaughter and two counts of Assault in the Third Degree.
On Nov. 20, 2020, at around 6 a.m. Marque was found asleep in her truck at a gas station, alone. When officers attempted to contact her, she assaulted them with a large knife. She was arrested for the assaults and remanded to Hiland Mountain Correctional Center.
Days later, family members of the victim contacted Anchorage police because they could not reach Marque or Jobe. At approximately 4 a.m. on Nov. 25, 2020, officers forced entry into Marque’s house where they found the child deceased. He had extensive and fatal wounds to his neck and throat.
Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 22, 2024, in front of Superior Court Judge Peter Ramgren. Marque faces a maximum sentence of 99 years for the death of Jobe and five years for the assaults on the officers.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Rachel Gernat and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Kaste. The Anchorage Police Department’s Homicide Unit conducted this investigation.
Update on 2/3/21 8:30 PM-
From the Office of the Anchorage District Attorney
Today, an Anchorage grand jury indicted 29 year-old Marley Joli Marque for the November, 2020 killing of her 5 year-old child, the stabbing of her 26 year-old brother, Shane Sizemore, and assaulting two Anchorage Police Department officers. Ms. Marque was indicted on one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, one count of manslaughter, one count of first-degree assault, and two counts of third-degree assault.
If convicted at trial, Ms. Marque faces sentences of up to 99 years imprisonment for each of the murder charges, 20 years for the manslaughter charge, 20 years for the first-degree assault charge, and up to 5 years for each of the third-degree assault charges.
These charges are only allegations and are not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the prosecution must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Ms. Marque is currently in the custody of the Department of Corrections. She is scheduled to be arraigned before the Superior Court in Anchorage on February 5, 2021.
Update on 1/13/21:
After a thorough investigation, on January 13, 2021, APD detectives obtained a felony arrest warrant for 29-year-old Marley J. Marque for the charges of Murder I, two counts of Murder II, and Manslaughter. The victim and Marque are related. The circumstances surrounding the death, to include the motive, are still under investigation. The Medical Examiner will ultimately determine the cause and time of death.
The warrant was served on Marque at Hiland Correctional where she has been incarcerated since late November 2020 on unrelated charges.
Update on 11/28/20:
The victim has been identified as a 5-year-old male; his name will not be released as he is a juvenile. While no charges have been filed at this time, and the investigation is ongoing, police are not currently looking for anyone else involved in this case.
Update on 11/25/20 at 9:45 PM:
This death has been classified as a homicide. While the circumstances are still under investigation, police do not believe this was a random event. No one has been charged at this time.
Anyone with surveillance footage or other information regarding this incident, who has not yet spoken to police, is asked to call Police Dispatch at 3-1-1 (option #1).
Original 11/25/20 at 7:21 AM:
At 11:52 PM on November 24, 2020, Anchorage Police received a call from a citizen who was reporting a family member as missing. During the course of the investigation, officers responded to a residence on the 4200-block of Reka Drive and located a deceased person inside. Officers made observations at the scene which has prompted them to take a closer look at the circumstances surrounding the death. APD’s Crime Scene Team will be on scene for several hours to process the home.
APD Case 20-37118
