Warrants: Suspect stole purse before fires & attempted break-in

CAROLINA BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Newly-released search warrants provide a clearer timeline of what led up to a series of crimes and fires in Carolina Beach that ended in the deaths of two women. The warrants also show how members of the community tried to catch the man now charged with the women’s murders Saturday.

According to an affidavit filed by investigators as part of the search warrant and obtained by WWAY, Marshall Doran’s night started with a theft at a bar and ended in an arrest about a mile away a little more than two hours later. In between, police say Doran allegedly stole a purse, set a fire, tried to break in to a home, set two more vehicle fires, one of which turned into a condo fire and ended finally in an arrest.

In the affidavit, police claim at 1:57 a.m. Saturday Doran was caught on a surveillance camera stealing a woman’s purse from The Dive Bar, which is at 6 N. Lake Park Blvd. About 30 minutes after that theft, at 2:28 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to a fire at 409 Carolina Beach Ave. South, which is less than half a mile from the bar. Witnesses say they saw fire coming from the carport of the condo building and also from the middle of the building. Darlene Maslar and Mary Cochran died in the fire. While firefighters were on scene, someone found the stolen purse, along with a bicycle and a sweatshirt next door at 407 Carolina Beach Ave. South.

After the first fire, the affidavit says Carolina Beach resident Angela Lovelace spotted a man fitting Doran’s description near her home at 606 Carolina Beach Ave. South. Lovelace told investigators she saw the man less than an hour after the first fire. She said when the man saw her, he disappeared under 609 Carolina Beach Ave. South. During that time, resident Brian Mondschein confronted a man fitting the description Lovelace gave police trying to break into his home through an oceanside window. Mondschein told police he chased the suspect down the stairs and lost him soon after.

At 3:39 a.m., just 17 minutes after Lovelace’s account, resident Vick Gore spotted a man fitting the same description in a smoking vehicle in the 800 block of Carolina Beach Ave. South. When Gore tried to ask the man if he needed help putting out the fire, he says the suspect ran off. Gore then alerted the residents near the vehicle to the fire, including a family who was forced to jump from their balcony. In the affidavit, Gore later identified Doran as the man he confronted.

The final fire was reported at 3:56 a.m. at 1123 South Lake Park Blvd. That location is three-tenths of a mile from the second fire and was also a vehicle fire. The van belonged to Laura Murray.

According to the affidavit, police picked up Doran at 1403 South Lake Park Blvd. ten minutes later. Doran was initially charged with the attempted break-in. Yesterday he was formally charged with two counts of first degree murder. Doran is being held under no bond. District Attorney Ben David asked for no bond because of another incident Doran is accused in.