Man whose body was found in a barrel in Malibu had been shot in the head, coroner says

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — A coroner has determined that a man whose naked body was found inside a barrel in Malibu, California, last week was shot in the head. The man was identified Wednesday by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office as 32-year-old Javonnta Marshann Murphy but no cause of death was given at the time. The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that the coroner’s case information now lists the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head. The circumstances that led to Murphy being shot and sealed inside a barrel remain under investigation by the Los Angeles County sheriff’s office.