17-year-old set to plead guilty to violent Raleigh home invasion

One of two brothers charged in connection with a violent home invasion that left a Raleigh man paralyzed said Monday that he intends to plead guilty to numerous charges in the case, including, kidnapping, first-degree rape and attempted first-degree murder.

Shabar Master Marshall, 17, was arrested in the early hours of Jan. 7, 2013, after police say he and his older brother shot the man in the spine and sexually assaulted his wife when they awoke to the brothers standing over them at their home in Raleigh's historic Oakwood neighborhood.

The wife was eventually able to get away and ran to a neighbor's house for help.

During his arraignment Monday, Marshall also pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon and one count each of first-degree burglary, first-degree sex offense, attempted first-degree sex offense and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.

A plea hearing is scheduled for later this week, when a judge will hear facts of the case and decide whether to accept Marshall's expected plea.

The victims had no comment Monday, but defense attorney George Kelly said his client's decision to plead guilty was one he made on his own.

"A lot of what this is about is really accepting responsibility, feeling bad for what has happened here," Kelly said.

Marshall's 27-year-old brother, Jahaad Tariem Allah Marshall, meanwhile, pleaded not guilty to the same charges.

The pair is still scheduled to go to trial March 10 for the alleged crimes, as well as 24 other charges related to three home invasions that occurred Dec. 26, 2012, on Hatton Way and Toccopola Street, and Dec. 30, 2012, on Sherry Drive.

Investigators say those crimes also took place during the nighttime hours and that the brothers held the victims against their will and robbed them of personal property, including a gun that police linked to the Oakwood case.

Shabar Marshall – already serving eight to 12 years in prison after being convicted in November of similar charges – also plans to plead guilty in the Sherry Drive case to first-degree burglary and two counts each of first-degree kidnapping and robbery with a dangerous weapon.

"It's a sad situation all the way around where people got hurt in this case, for Shabar, for his brother," Kelly said. "He is certainly not happy about the situation his brother is in. His brother is 10 years older than he is, and it may appear that his brother was the leader in this situation."