The father of an ASU student who was killed last month had one message upon the announcement of arrests made in the case: “I told you so.”
Dan Marco, the father of ASU student Zachary Marco, uttered the remark at a Tuesday press conference where Tempe Police announced the arrests of two people in connection with his son’s death.
Twenty-year-old Louis Eugene Harper and a 17-year-old were arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and armed robbery. A third person was also arrested in the case, police said, but was not facing charges. Additional details of the third arrest were not released due to privacy concerns for the individual, police said.
“To these two men — I told you so,” Marco said. “These cases all follow the same path. As I said many times, your arrest was inevitable.”
Political science junior Zachary Marco, 21, was walking to his apartment from the Tempe campus around 9:30 p.m. Oct. 17 when he was confronted by two men, believed to be Harper and his 17-year-old accomplice, who demanded Marco give them his laptop and cell phone, Tempe Police spokesman Sgt. Steve Carbajal said.
During the confrontation on the 1100 block of East University Drive, Harper is suspected of shooting Marco, who later died at a nearby hospital as a result of the shooting, Carbajal said.
On Oct. 29, Marco’s computer bag was located, and latent fingerprints of Harper and the 17-year-old were eventually found on the contents of the bag, Carbajal said.
The State Press is not publishing the name of the 17-year-old suspect because he is a minor.
Tempe Police Chief Tom Ryff said that although the arrests of Harper and his accomplice have been made, the inquiry into Marco’s homicide would continue.
“These investigations are very complex,” Ryff said. “There’s a long road ahead. We have a lot of work to do; this is just the beginning of this case.”
Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman said even though investigators maintained a heavy burden of work on the case, police would continue the same level of commitment to all crime victims.
Harper and the 17-year-old, both Tempe residents, are facing charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery, Carbajal said.
As police announced the pending charges against the men, Marco’s father said he gave fair warning to whomever was responsible for his son’s death that they would be caught.
On Oct. 22, Dan Marco appeared with his family on CBS’s “The Early Show,” pleading for the accomplice of the shooter to come forward. In turn, Marco said he would help provide the accomplice with the best legal defense possible to ensure a plea deal that “allows him to see the light of day again.”
“As I understand it, no one came forward, these arrests are the resolve of hard-nosed, old-fashioned police work. The deal’s off the table,” Marco said Tuesday.
Tempe Police Cmdr. Kim Hale, head of the investigation into Marco’s death, said citizens found Marco’s laptop bag on Oct. 29, after media reports stated Marco’s personal belongings were missing.
Police would not say where the bag was found.
While a warrant was being served at Harper’s Tempe home, police discovered his cell phone, which included text messages between Harper and an unnamed suspect talking about committing a robbery the day before the shooting, according to court documents.
The same court documents also referenced a third person at the scene of the shooting, which was not revealed by police Tuesday afternoon.
The unnamed person was interviewed Monday. The person told police that he or she drove Harper and another suspect to the 1100 block of East University Drive, and witnessed Harper shoot and kill a person while the second suspect stood nearby, according to the documents.
Police did not confirm a third suspect in the case, but Hale said, “There’s a lot more to this case.”
Hale also said he would not comment as to whether police recovered the gun used to shoot Marco. A gun was not found in Harper’s possession, according to court documents.
Harper was already being held at the Fourth Avenue Jail for a suspected probation violation at the time of his arrest Tuesday morning, and the 17-year-old was arrested early Tuesday at his home. Both were known to be associated with each other and had known gang affiliations, Hale said.
According to court documents, Harper was already on probation through Maricopa County for theft and resisting arrest and has a history for failing to appear.
Harper’s arrest record also includes charges of reckless assault and criminal damage dismissed in May, a guilty plea for driving with a suspended license in March and a guilty plea to a misdemeanor marijuana charge in 2009.
A bond for Harper’s release was set at $1 million Tuesday afternoon, according to court documents.
Dan Marco is staying active in the wake of the arrests of Harper and his accomplice and is looking to contribute to children like his son.
Marco started the Zachary Marco Foundation a few weeks after his son’s death, through which he plans to grant scholarships to students pursuing political science or law degrees, and also help parents who endure a similar ordeal.
“The business end of death is amazingly expensive,” Marco said.
He said he’s going to help alleviate the burden of costs put onto parents after their children have died, and they’ve spent all of their money on their child’s education.
“My son’s life was taken for nothing,” Marco said. “It’s obviously not going to bring my son back, but it’ll protect other people’s sons and daughters.”
To raise funds for the foundation, they will start selling blue wristbands, with Zachary’s name printed on one side, and the phrase, “Ridiculous — it’ll work” on the other. The phrase had special meaning between Zachary and his father.
A candlelight vigil celebrating the life of Zachary has been arranged for 6 p.m. Wednesday in the main courtyard of Barrett, the Honors College, on the Tempe campus. He was slated to graduate from Barrett next May.
Reach the reporter at mhendley@asu.edu
