Ex-boyfriend of Navarre woman Cassie Carli charged with abuse of corpse in her death
The ex-boyfriend of Navarre woman Cassie Carli has been charged with abuse of a corpse in connection to her death, according to the district attorney for St. Clair County, Alabama.
Prosecutor Lyle Harmon announced the charge against Marcus Spanevelo in a press release Monday.
"This charge has been pending since May of this year and a hold has been placed on Marcus Spanevelo while he was in custody in the State of Florida," the release stated. "On Friday, October 14, 2022, Marcus Spanevelo signed documents agreeing to extradition to the State of Alabama."
Spanevelo's arrest: Cassie Carli's ex-boyfriend arrested in Tennessee on charges related to her disappearance
Charges dropped: Cassie Carli case: Marcus Spanevelo to be prosecuted in Alabama in Navarre woman's death
Spanevelo was charged in Santa Rosa County with destroying evidence and obstructing justice for allegedly lying to law enforcement before prosecutors dropped the charges last week.
"In an effort to prosecute the strongest case, and after communicating with law enforcement officers in both states, the Office of the State Attorney believes that in the interest of justice the actions of Marcus Spanevelo are most appropriately prosecuted in Alabama," according to court document filed with the Santa Rosa County Clerk of Court's Office.
Authorities found Carli's body in a shallow grave in a barn in St. Clair, Alabama, after Carli and Spanevelo met to exchange custody of their daughter March 27.
Spanevelo has not been charged with murder in Carli's death.
St. Clair County Coroner Dennis Russell told the News Journal earlier this month that he could not determine Carli's cause or manner of death.
"Undetermined means undetermined," he told the News Journal.
Autopsy completed: Coroner completes autopsy for Navarre woman Cassie Carli. What we know and what we don't.
Citing the ongoing law enforcement investigation, Russell declined to provide additional details about what officials were able to determine from the autopsy.
"While the investigation into the cause and manor of Cassie Carlie's death are ongoing, this current charge does not limit any agency or state from pursuing additional charges at the appropriate time," Harmon noted in the release issued Monday.
If convicted of the charge in Alabama, Spanevelo faces up to 10 years in state prison, according to Harmon.
Spanevelo has been held in the Santa Rosa County Jail since April 17, according to jail records, and is awaiting extradition to St. Clair County, Alabama.
Benjamin Johnson can be reached at bjohnson@pnj.com or 850-435-8578
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Cassie Carli ex-boyfriend Marcus Spanevelo faces abuse of corpse charge
