In 1991 Marvin Harris was shot by a Houston TX SWAT officer. He was shot in the back of the head as he slept. Marvin’s body was then manipulated by repairing the bullet wound, and desecrated by a single shot through his eye. His murder was declared a suicide and police have spent the last 30 years covering up the truth. 

Marvin’s family demanded to see his body and were told numerous times that they wouldn’t want to see it, that they would be appalled, that Marvin's head had been completely blown off. PPD went so far in this charade as to have the family sign a waiver releasing PPD of responsibility from the trauma this viewing would cause. But 28 hours later when they were finally able to see him, they were confused to find themselves looking at an almost perfect body. In fact Marvin’s only wound was a clean bullet straight through his eye. Pictures from his funeral service show that he looks as though he is sleeping.  

In 2018 (27 years later!) Marvin’s sisters were finally able to get images of the crime scene and were shocked at a massive wound they had never seen! A bullet had clearly exited Marvin’s forehead. The damage was much more extensive than the clean, simple wound through his eye they had been led to believe was Marvin’s cause of death. They realized Marvin had been shot through the eye postmortem to fool them into thinking this was how he had ended his life. This is all the more distressing because it meant the police had gone to great lengths to cover up this murder! 

And why would they do that? 

The afternoon before Marvin’s death he had been outside about to barbecue some lunch in his backyard when he was threatened and shot at by local police officer Jeff Ginn. News articles claim Ginn smelled Marvin burning marijuana in his barbecue pit, but police reports confirm 2 pieces of meat had been left on the counter to thaw. No marijuana was ever found in the home, barbecue pit, vehicle or even in his body, and Marvin would never eat that lunch. Instead Ginn unloaded his personal firearm into Marvin’s backyard (as confirmed by the police report—only Ginn’s bullets were found in the yard). Ginn then went to get more bullets from his motorcycle and Marvin, terrified of what Ginn would do next, went to get his own rifle. When Ginn returned Marvin warned him to stay away, and when the officer still advanced, weapon drawn, Marvin shot the officer in self defense. After years of torment, false arrests, and beatings at the hands of local law enforcement, Marvin feared for his life if he was taken into PPD (Pasadena Police Department) custody.

Marvin had disconnected his phone service due to continuing harassment at the hands of his bullies, so he went to the home of his neighbors and explained what had happened. Marvin asked if he could use the phone and he called local news crews as well as the Houston FBI office. Marvin was willing to stand trial and explain his actions, but he was requesting that the FBI pick him up and safely escort him to a secure location and preserve his life.

Police surrounded the home and the kind neighbors with whom Marvin waited decided to stay with him until he was safe. The gentleman who lived in the home left to let officers know they were not hostages, but wasn’t allowed to return to his wife and Marvin. Instead he stood outside the perimeter with Marvin’s family. Several news crews reported this unusual arrangement, but never corrected the false statement that Marvin was holding hostages. 

Finally Marvin fell asleep waiting in the kitchen of his neighbors home for the FBI to arrive. Sadly, Marvin was unaware that FBI agents had come as requested, but lacking jurisdiction, had been dismissed by local law enforcement. Instead, a SWAT officer, listening via a mic on the wall of the garage, and hearing Marvin drift off to sleep, crept in through a side door and shot Marvin in the head where he lay. 

The neighbor lady reported a sound like a car backfiring outside. Not nearly loud enough for an M1 rifle just a room or two away, and as a result she waited almost an hour before going to check on Marvin and offering him some breakfast. When she saw poor Marvin’s condition she answered the phone where police had been calling and informed them of what she’d found. They had her step outside and the body was now theirs to desecrate. 

After his death, PPD instigated a systematic campaign to destroy Marvin’s reputation. They declared him a mental patient (he had PTSD after a brutal police beating in 1983), told news reporters he had held his neighbors hostage (despite the neighbors constantly denying this), and made him out to be the villain (a “cop-killer”). Meanwhile officer Ginn had a street named after him and his widow is married to the current mayor of Pasadena, practically ensuring justice for Marvin will never come from the halls of Pasadena. 

Marvin’s sisters fought for years to get justice for him, sensing that something was wrong with the narrative being told by law enforcement. Every inch of the way has been blocked. They were denied access to police reports and autopsy images. Marvin’s handwritten statement of events, witnessed by the neighbors and tucked safely in their Bible was in police custody for a year while they denied its existence. It was finally retrieved from police custody by the neighbor who had been held "hostage." The Harris sisters became veritable pariahs, rejected by friends and religious community groups for their brother’s perceived crimes. Their cars windows were shot out three times. They lost jobs and cruelly, even their children have been targeted all these years later. But the Harris sisters were persistent. In 2018 they got a break in the case at last.

The Coroner’s images of the crime scene show a spotless kitchen where a man supposedly shot himself in the head with an M1 rifle. The image is unimpressive and mundane until you realize this clean kitchen would be impossible if Marvin had in fact shot himself with the weapon. At some point Marvin’s body, originally laying on the ground, was set up against the wall by officers and a toy sheriff badge was pinned to his chest. When his shirt was removed at the morgue it was apparent that he had shoe marks on his back where he had been kicked and stepped on after death. And of course, the smoking gun in this case is the exit wound from his forehead. Surely this is impossible for a self inflicted rifle wound, and all the more suspicious for the postmortem wound repair and shot through the eye.

The corrupt coroner who falsified Marvin’s autopsy was exposed in 1996 of numerous counts of falsifying autopsies after a prisoner with broken hands apparently hung himself in his jail cell. The family of that man were able to have an independent autopsy done. Unfortunately Marvin was cremated, so the crime scene photos and the images uncovered in 2018 are the only hope for reversing this. 

The current laws enforcement agency reviewing the claim admits that there are grounds for this case to be reopened, but aren’t able to do so because, in a seemingly ridiculous version of history repeating itself, the medical examiner for the city refuses to change the cause of death from suicide to homicide. Law enforcement says they cannot pursue a case against the SWAT officer who pulled the trigger, although there is heavy evidence that implicates him (and yes, they know who this person allegedly is!) They claim it would be a conflict of interest because he worked for them. One would think internal affairs was created for situations just like this, but here we are! Now it’s seems an independent investigation will be necessary.

Regardless, the first step is to change the cause of death from suicide to homicide. We are seeking an independent medical examiner who is willing to look at the photos and if they feel confident, as we do, that Marvin did not commit suicide, we ask that you aid in this case and change the cause of death. The corrupt political power STILL preventing justice for Marvin needs to be held accountable for their actions—even actions of the past. 

Help us start the journey for Justice for Marvin!