Michelle Lee Marr, Winnebago, Nebraska woman found guilty of murdering boyfriend, Jesse Gilpin after applying makeup to his face to hide bruises. Girlfriend had history of physical violence against live in boyfriend. Couple lived on an Indian reservation.
A Nebraska woman convicted of killing her boyfriend at a Winnebago Indian reservation where they lived faces life in prison upon her sentencing later this year.
Michelle Lee Marr, 49, of Winnebago was found guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the murder of her live in boyfriend, Jesse Gilpin, on March 12, 2022.
Marr according to court documents called 911 saying she had woken up only to find Gilpin unconscious in bed at their home on the Winnebago Indian Reservation and requesting medical attention.
History of physical abuse against boyfriend on Indian reservation
The victim, a father, was taken to a local hospital, but ended up being flown to Sioux City due to the severity of his injuries. Attending medics at Twelve Clans Unity Hospital noticed the man having ‘significant amounts of makeup’ applied on his face and body, federal prosecutors stated.
Once the makeup was washed away, attending medics noticed numerous injuries — including ‘a golf-ball sized or bigger knot or bruise on the left side of his head’ as well as ‘bruises on the right side of his head,’ prosecutors said.
‘The makeup was described as having been applied thickly and appeared fresh and not slept in,’ prosecutors claimed in court documents obtained by the Daily Mail.
‘A nurse at Mercy Medical Center said it took her a while to scrub the makeup off Gilpin’s face and she noted it was a match for Gilpin’s skin tone,’ they added.
Gilpin died the next day from brain trauma and swelling, with an autopsy ruling the man’s death a homicide.
A pathologist testified during his girlfriend’s trial that the injuries were deliberately inflicted trauma rather than from an accident or fall.
Marr told investigators that she passed out around 5 p.m. the night before and when she woke up she found Gilpin, unconscious on their bed.
Prosecutors discovered evidence on her phone and social media account that proved that she lied when she claimed to have passed out and found her boyfriend unconscious in bed.
Marr’s children and other relatives told police that she had a history of physical violence towards Gilpin.
Marr was found guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with documents and evidence after a five-day trial in Omaha. She faces a maximum up to life in prison for the murder charge, and a max of 20 years for the tampering charge when she is sentenced on June 5.
The US Attorney’s Office noted the case was prosecuted in federal court because the offense was a felony and occurred on the Winnebago Indian Reservation in Nebraska.
