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Suburban Mom Turned Killer: A Shocking Fall from Grace
15 Nov
Summary
- Jemma Marshall, a suburban mom-of-three, became a killer after falling into drug addiction
- Marshall and another man brutally attacked and killed Martin Shaw, a vulnerable addict
- Marshall's troubled childhood and personal trauma led her down a dark path of crime and death

In a shocking turn of events, Jemma Marshall, a suburban mom-of-three from the small town of Shaw, north of Oldham, has been convicted of manslaughter alongside another man, Jason Wadsworth. The 37-year-old's seemingly normal family life has descended into a world of crime and tragedy.
Marshall, who previously worked for a charity, cared for a woman with multiple sclerosis, and volunteered for the British Red Cross, fell into drug addiction after a troubled childhood and personal trauma. Her first encounter with crack cocaine, which she believed was only cannabis, became a vital turning point, leading her to neglect her family and spiral into a life of crime.
Prosecutors claimed that Marshall acted as a loan shark, exploiting the vulnerable addict Martin Shaw, 45, and brutally attacking him alongside Wadsworth when he failed to meet her demands. Shaw, who was not using drugs at the time but taking a methadone script to get off them, ultimately died from his injuries on November 4, 2023.
Marshall, who wept as she was told she would likely face a lengthy sentence, claimed she had an emotional connection with Shaw and that she was trying to help him. However, the court heard that she had been spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on hard substances and smoking them in drug dens across Oldham with other addicts.
The tragic case serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact that addiction and personal trauma can have on individuals and their loved ones. As Marshall faces her sentencing, the community is left to grapple with the shocking fall from grace of a suburban mom who once led a seemingly normal life.




