Man whose body was found in a barrel in Malibu is identified by authorities

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities have identified the man whose body was found inside a barrel in Malibu, California. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says the man was identified by the coroner’s office as 32-year-old Javonnta Marshann Murphy. No additional information was immediately provided Wednesday. Murphy’s body was found inside a black plastic 55-gallon drum on Monday. Homicide detectives are investigating. The barrel was first spotted over the weekend floating in a Malibu lagoon but was not opened until Monday morning. It was not immediately known how long the body had been in the drum.