GREENVILLE MAN RECEIVES LIFE PRISON SENTENCE FOR MURDER

A Greenville man received a life prison sentence without parole today
after a jury decided that he shot a Greer man to death.

Manuel A. Marin, 44, was found guilty of murder and possession of a
weapon during the commission of a violent crime at the conclusion of a
three-day jury trial in Spartanburg.  Marin shot 30-year-old Nelson
Fernando Tabares to death on July 21, 2008.

The murder occurred while Marin and Tabares rode in a car together on
Highway 29. The men left a Greenville nightclub together after the
business closed and drove into western Spartanburg County looking for
Tabares’ home. Marin, the driver, shot Tabares twice in the back of
the head when the victim attempted to reach for the steering wheel
from his position as a back seat passenger. The shooting occurred near
Tucapau Road and Marin continued driving to the intersection of West
Main Street and Daniel Morgan Avenue in the City of Spartanburg. Marin
stopped the car when another passenger attempted to flee.

Sheriff’s deputies jailed Marin in the hours following the shooting
based on information obtained from witnesses.

Assistant Solicitor Susan Reese utilized witness testimony and
forensic evidence to successfully argue the case in court.

“Manuel Marin introduced a gun into a rock, paper, scissors fight,”
Reese said. “He could have applied the brakes and told Mr. Tabares to
get out of the car. Instead, he produced a handgun and shot the victim
twice at point-blank range.

“No reasonable person behaves this way,” Reese added.

Tabares was a professor at Greenville Tech and he was
involved in several civic activities.