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2 men charged with murder in Des Moines slaying

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October 22nd, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say they’ve identified two suspects in the slaying of a man whose body was found in a homeless camp near downtown Des Moines. Police say they’ve charged 46-year-old Des Moines resident Yancy Freland and 26-year-old Bryan Norris, also of Des Moines, with first-degree murder. Their attorneys in unrelated cases didn’t immediately return Associated Press messages on Tuesday.

Freland already was in custody on a probation violation. Norris has been in custody since Sept. 13, charged with assault on a police officer. The remains of 23-year-old Marshal Johnson were found Oct. 8 in a wooded area behind an abandoned manufacturing plant. Police say Freland and Norris shot Johnson sometime after July 26, and say Norris cut Johnson’s neck. Police also say the two tried to burn his remains and then buried them.