Family of Salem girl killed in 1988 grateful to 'face her killer' in court
Jul. 8—The family of a Salem girl found murdered in Lawrence, Mass., in 1988 said they were grateful to "face her killer" in court Thursday morning.
Marvin "Skip" McClendon, 75, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder at his arraignment in Essex County Superior Court in Salem, Mass. Judge Thomas Drechsler ordered him held without bail, according to a news release.
Authorities arrested McClendon at his home in Bremen, Ala., on April 26. He was returned to Massachusetts and first arraigned in Lawrence District Court on May 13. He was indicted on June 15, moving the case to superior court.
Melissa Ann "Missy" Tremblay, 11, who was a sixth-grader at Lancaster School in Salem, was found stabbed to death in the old Boston & Maine Railroad yard in Lawrence on Sept. 12, 1988.
After her death, a train ran over her body, severing one of her legs, Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett previously said.
Melissa's cousin Daneille Root said the family never gave up hope that Melissa's killer would be found. She thanked authorities for their work to solve the cold case.
"They have never given up and because of that, we were able to sit in the courtroom today and face her killer," she said.
Melissa always remained on the minds of everyone in the family through the years.
"We chose to put our faith in God, the Lawrence Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police and the Essex District Attorney's Office," she said in a statement. "Clearly that was the right choice."
A police investigation found that Melissa had gone with her mother and her mother's boyfriend to the LaSalle Social Club at 397 Andover St. in Lawrence and played in the nearby neighborhoods. She was last seen alive by a railroad worker and pizza delivery driver in the late afternoon, Blodgett said.
He said "evidence recovered from the victim's body was instrumental to solving the case."
"Many people have blamed my aunt for Missy's death. While I don't believe she made the right decision that night, that is between her and God," Root said. "Ultimately the only person responsible for Missy's death is the man we saw in court today — Marvin McClendon. He made the decision to take a life that night for whatever reason and he is finally going to face a judge and jury for that decision. Not only will he face judgment here on earth but he will face God's judgment one day too."
Melissa's mother, Janet Tremblay, died in 2015. Melissa was adopted, according to Tremblay's obituary.
McClendon worked as an officer for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections for three separate periods from 1970 to 2002, according to a news release.
He worked as a carpenter at the time of Melissa's murder. He was involved with the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Salem Street.
McClendon is being represented by attorney Henry Fasoldt.
Root said she was grateful the Essex District Attorney's Office scheduled the arraignment so she could attend while visiting family in New Hampshire.
