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Marie Singleton, Andre Jackson: ‘Dateline NBC’ Probes Secrets, Murder Of Missing Mother-Turned-CIA Analyst

Published on: July 1, 2016 at 6:57 PM
By Traciy Reyes

Marie Singleton Jackson, a missing African-American woman, who secretly worked for the CIA, was found dead in the trunk of her car in 1994. A California jury found her husband, Andre Jackson, guilty of the crime. This Friday, Dateline NBC will retell the mother’s story in an episode titled, “Missing Marie.” For tonight’s featured story, you’ll hear from law enforcement agents, relatives, and other crime-case experts.

Missing Mom And CIA Analyst, Marie Singleton, Found Dead

Thirty-three-year-old Marie Singleton was found dead in the trunk of her car in November of 1994, near a state beach. Marie Singleton had been missing for five days. Her husband, Andre Singleton, told police that he arrived home in the evening from his son’s game and discovered that Marie’s 8-year-old son, Marcus, was home alone with the baby. The boy did not know where his mother had gone.

Marie Singleton Jackson’s family and friends were frantic with worry because they knew she was not the type of mother who would leave her children unattended. Even her coworkers at the U.S. Department of Defense had no idea what happened to her.

According to the Los Angeles Times , the medical examiner found that Marie Singleton was badly beaten and strangled before she was placed inside her vehicle. Her body was still dressed in a jogging suit. Dateline NBC will show that Andre Jackson told Inglewood detectives that Marie was an avid jogger who often went to the beach to get her exercise. But, as detectives worked the case, something was off. Her purse was still in the car so this was definitely not a robbery. For months on end, they tried to piece together the clues in the case, but came up with nothing.

The FBI had also taken over the case, but closed it when they didn’t find evidence that her job at the Defense Department was related to the murder. A year later, an anonymous letter from a coworker of Marie Singleton contacted her family members, stating that Marie worked as a code clerk for the CIA, and that she believed her death was part of a government cover-up since Marie had direct contact with international spies.

Though this information was shocking to her family and friends, who believed that she would never keep a secret from them, investigators did not believe that her death was the result of a professional hit.

Marie Singleton Jackson was beaten and strangled, and there was evidence that she had fought with her attacker. This murder was domestic, not professional, and was not related at all to the CIA.

The case went cold for more than 10 years, until detectives decided to try to crack the case once again. Police then refocused their attention on Andre Jackson. It came to light that Jackson had a bruise on his lips in the days that Marie Singleton was missing.

Detectives also learned from Marie Singleton’s girlfriends that things had changed between Andre Jackson and Marie, stating that their once loving and passionate relationship was no more. They were fighting constantly and arguing in front of the children. Andre told police that Marie had started drinking, which caused a slight argument between them.

The break in the case came 17-years later when detectives interviewed Marie’s son, the 8-year-old boy named Marcus, about the case. Now an adult, Marcus Singleton told them that he remembered that his mother and stepfather had a heated argument and that Andre had chased Marie all over the house and put his hands around her throat.

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This was shocking news since Marcus had never mentioned this when he was little. Marcus explained that he didn’t mention it because Andre told him not to talk to the police about the physical fight.

Marcus had a deep respect and love for Andre since he treated him like his own son. But as Marcus grew older, and Andre moved to another state, he began believing that Andre had something to do with his mother’s death.

Investigators believed that the cover-up had to do with only one person, Andre Jackson. DNA tests conducted also helped link Andre Jackson to the crime. The prosecution alleged that Andre killed his wife because she was leaving him, and then spent the rest of the time covering his tracks. The Mercury News stated the following.

“Jackson dressed his wife in a jogging suit, stuffed her body into the trunk of her car, and parked it on Vista del Mar near El Segundo, making it appear the U.S. Department of Defense worker was attacked while running at Dockweiler Beach. Jackson passed out missing person fliers and broke down when investigators told him they had found his wife’s body.”

Though defense attorneys believed that the prosecution’s case was circumstantial, the jury was riveted by Marcus Singleton’s testimony, which ultimately led to a finding of guilt for Andre Jackson and a prison sentence of 25 years-to-life.

Watch Dateline NBC tonight at 10/9 p.m. Central to get the whole story behind the death of Marie Singleton Jackson. Last week, Dateline reported on the case of Richard Rosario .

[Image via TungCheung /ShutterStock]

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