# Crematory Operator Pleads Guilty **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 19, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713 "2004-11-19T20:39:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/1 "2004-11-19T20:39:30Z")
[http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pri&dt=041119&cat=news&st=newsd86f52tg1&src=ap](http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pri&dt=041119&cat=news&st=newsd86f52tg1&src=ap) I’m so glad he spared the families the horror of a long, drawn-out trial. Shame the TN jail time couldn’t be consecutive, though. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/2 "2004-11-19T22:52:53Z")
All we are is dust in the… lake. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/3 "2004-11-20T00:54:20Z")
> [@](#): > > authorities found more than 300 corpses on the property \_ scattered in the woods, in buildings and crammed into burial vaults and behind Marsh’s house. Is it wrong that this makes me laugh? I’m imagining corpses piled up behind his house and dangling from trees in the forest. Okay, maybe I have a weird sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/4 "2004-11-20T01:18:46Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Is it wrong that this makes me laugh? > > I’m imagining corpses piled up behind his house and dangling from trees in the forest. > > Okay, maybe I have a weird sense of humor. It is pretty funny in a sick sort of way. I’m one of those guys who doesn’t give a shit what happens to my rotting carcass when I die. But a lot of people do, and those people were pretty traumatized by this whole thing. Plus there’s the simple aspect of fraud, breach of contract, and one helluva health code violation. I wonder if any of them were stuffed in old luggage. Hehehehe. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/5 "2004-11-20T01:24:15Z")
I have been following this case over time. The fellow had delayed the trial with every possible pleading. He spent forever claiming his health was bad. So now he goes for the guilty plea. Good for him. I hope they burn him real good. 🙂 (What the hell kind of relationship did he have with his attorney? 'You did what? Bodies all over the property?") BTW, he lived at home with his parents. Another tense relationship I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/6 "2004-11-20T10:20:38Z")
I recall them finding photos of the bodies in his home. Were those for business purposes or… :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/7 "2004-11-20T14:18:12Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] It is pretty funny in a sick sort of way. I’m one of those guys who doesn’t give a shit what happens to my rotting carcass when I die. But a lot of people do, and those people were pretty traumatized by this whole thing. Plus there’s the simple aspect of fraud, breach of contract, and one helluva health code violation. [QUOTE] It’s more funny in an absurd sort of way… how did the neighbors miss the _smell_? I’m also one of those “do whatever with the remains” kinds of people, but the population this particular crematory served are poor, rural, VERY religious African Americans. Not only do they have a lot of investment in having the remains properly disposed of, but they also spent money they likely didn’t have to ensure their relative’s body was treated in a respectful manner (well, as respectful as shoving them into a cardboard box and cooking them at 1600 degrees can be). These people are experiencing a hell of a lot of guilt over their part in this mess (irrational, true, but again you have to take into account the population, as well as the irrationality of grief), and for that I hope he gets a good long time to sit and think in a cold, dark cell. **Paul** , he also made numerous requests for police protection because he was afraid of what the community would do to him. I don’t think he ever got it. :wally ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/8 "2004-11-20T15:46:20Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > It is pretty funny in a sick sort of way. I’m one of those guys who doesn’t give a shit what happens to my rotting carcass when I die. But a lot of people do, and those people were pretty traumatized by this whole thing. I bet there’s a lot of folks like me, who really doesn’t care what happens to my body, but would be pretty pissed if they, say, chucked my Dad’s body into the woods. Even though I _know_ he was like me, and didn’t care himself what happened to his own body after he died. It’s for the comfort of the survivors, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/9 "2004-11-20T16:08:57Z")
from the article quoted in the OP: > [@](#): > > Marsh also is expected to plead guilty to corpse abuse in Tennessee, where some funeral homes that sent bodies to his crematory were located. That prison sentence would be served at the same time as the one he receives in Georgia. There’s a bit of irony in prosecuting this guy in Tennessee, which is the home of the famous [body farm.](http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/10/31/body.farm/) > [@](#): > > On three acres surrounded by razor-wire and a wooden fences near the University of Tennessee Medical Center, about 40 bodies rot away at any given time. They’re stuffed into car trunks, left lying in the sun or shade, buried in shallow graves, covered with brush or submerged in ponds. I had to read through quite a few articles on the body farm to find one that revealed where the bodies come from. According to [this link…](http://www.rense.com/politics6/flesh.htm) > [@](#): > > The university collects bodies from three main sources: the unclaimed dead, those who have donated their bodies to science and those who have specifically stated they want to spend their afterlife on the farm. There is even a waiting list. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/10 "2004-11-20T16:39:38Z")
I think 12 years in prison is reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/11 "2004-11-20T16:48:16Z")
One of my mother’s friends was dumped in that lake. Very traumatic. I just want to know… why?! Surely dumping a body - transporting it, pushing it in, or burying it or whatever - would be way more of a pain in the ass than just burning the thing. Was it down to cost? ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/12 "2004-11-20T21:58:45Z")
Although I’ve never seen anything in the news to support this, I’ve always suspected that the crematorium guy is either mentally retarded or mentally ill. I don’t think he’s evil – I think he inherited a job he is incapable of handling. I could be wrong, but it makes more sense than any other theory. ---
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/13 "2004-11-20T22:09:24Z")
How come the funeral homes got sued? ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/14 "2004-11-20T22:11:34Z")
I recall this case…I think the guy claimed that the gas company shut the gas off (nonpayment). However, this doesn’t expalin much-he actually gave the relatives cememnt powder (in place of their loved ones ashes). Let’s face it, once you are dead, that’s it. How much does it cost (in natural gas) to cremate someone? ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/15 "2004-11-20T22:17:31Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Was it down to cost? Yes. The funeral homes that took initial possession of the bodies did all the transporting, right to the site where he dumped them (the lake and surrounding woods are all Marsh’s family property, and by extension part of the crematory site); all he had to do was load them on a trailer or 'barrow attached to a tractor and haul them off to the preferred dumping spot. The claims early on, that have yet to be refuted, appear to be that the business was bankrupt due to the ineptitude of Marsh (he inherited the business from his ailing father). In fact, one of the most damning pieces of evidence were the financial records that show an obvious decrease in whatever power source would be used to run such an operation. I think of my best friend, who has a setup next to his house where he does bronze casting. A single day’s casting, IIRC, uses a full tank of gas- around $300- in a matter of hours. So it’s not an extreme leap to think that running a crematory properly- at the temps necessary for as complete destruction of the remains as possible- is not an inexpensive venture. **laina\_f** … I don’t think he’s evil, but I definitely don’t think he’s mentally incapacitated in some way. I think he’s an utter moron with absolutely no care for anyone but himself, who thought he could get away with it. The fact that he had the foresight to subsititute cement for cremains shows that he’s got a fair amount of cognition. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/16 "2004-11-20T22:27:04Z")
> [@SlickRoenick](#): > > How come the funeral homes got sued? Fraud and negligence. Basically they went after everyone involved- Marsh’s insurance paid his portion, and the (50? 60?) funeral homes that sent bodies to him settled up as well. I would imagine the argument was 1) if you’re doing business with someone, you should have an inkling of their business practices, and 2) the families didn’t get what they paid the funeral homes for- the cremated remains of the deceased. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crematory-operator-pleads-guilty/275713/17 "2004-11-21T01:04:10Z")
> [@bobkitty](#): > > It’s more funny in an absurd sort of way… how did the neighbors miss the _smell_? The crematory was on a good bit of acreage. Plenty of land and no close neighbors. > [@](#): > > I’m also one of those “do whatever with the remains” kinds of people, but the population this particular crematory served are poor, rural, VERY religious African Americans. Not only do they have a lot of investment in having the remains properly disposed of, but they also spent money they likely didn’t have to ensure their relative’s body was treated in a respectful manner (well, as respectful as shoving them into a cardboard box and cooking them at 1600 degrees can be). These people are experiencing a hell of a lot of guilt over their part in this mess (irrational, true, but again you have to take into account the population, as well as the irrationality of grief), and for that I hope he gets a good long time to sit and think in a cold, dark cell. > > **Paul** , he also made numerous requests for police protection because he was afraid of what the community would do to him. I don’t think he ever got it. :wally I don’t really care all that much what is done with my body but I would be distressed to think my relatives were defrauded out of their hard-earned cash by this guy. This case struck kinda close to home because my grandfather died (in Alabama) about a month before this guy was busted. We had him cremated and scattered his ashes (illegal in Alabama) on my Grandmother’s property. They had been married 59 years (he actually died two weeks before their 60th anniversary), had known each other since first grade and she was, understandably, very upset. When the news broke, it really stressed out my entire family since it was unclear what funeral homes the bodies came from.