Manchester Businessman Convicted in Murder-for-Hire Plot Targeting Bank Executive

Marvin Morris, a prominent Manchester businessman, has been convicted of solicitation to commit murder after offering $60,000 to have a top executive of the People’s Cooperative Bank (PCB) killed. The four-week trial concluded on Friday in the Manchester Circuit Court, and sentencing is scheduled for February 7 next year.

Morris, who owns multiple businesses in the parish, was found guilty of hiring Gemral Anderson, a would-be hitman, to murder Glenroy Griffiths, then chairman of the PCB. Prosecutors Natallie Malcolm, Afryea Cox, and Luke Cook presented evidence that Morris orchestrated the plot between October and November of 2013 to gain easier access to loans.

Angela Butler, a PCB loans officer who was also implicated, was acquitted earlier in the trial when the judge ruled there was no case against her.

Anderson, who initially faced charges himself, turned state witness and detailed the plot in court. He testified that Morris first approached him in September 2013, claiming he knew a woman willing to pay $60,000 to see Griffiths dead. Morris reportedly gave Anderson $10,000 upfront to buy bullets but later provided a screwdriver instead, suggesting it as the weapon of choice.

The businessman allegedly took Anderson to Griffiths’ office and home to familiarize him with the target and plan an escape route. On November 6, 2013, Morris drove Anderson to Griffiths’ home, advising him that the bank chairman was on his way. When Griffiths, also a church elder, arrived, Anderson said he felt unable to go through with the attack, describing a surreal experience where he saw “two women with wings,” which he interpreted as a divine intervention.

After abandoning the plan, Anderson revealed the plot to Griffiths, who then took him to the Spalding Police Station to report the incident. Anderson continued to receive calls from Morris asking if the “job” was completed, which police overheard as Anderson put the phone on speaker. The police devised a plan, instructing Anderson to tell Morris he needed bail for a minor charge, luring the businessman to the station, where he was subsequently arrested.

During cross-examination, it was revealed that Anderson’s recent testimony conflicted with statements he made over ten years ago, in which he claimed the plot was intended to swindle the woman who initially proposed the scheme. Anderson explained that he previously altered his testimony to protect Morris due to their longstanding friendship.

Morris’s attorney declined to comment, citing the pending sentencing hearing.