Man accused of rape, murder of toddler held without bail

William Marshall was returned to Las Vegas after his arrest in Arizona

Tuesday, July 14, 2009 | noon

William Marshall

Toddler found dead in trash bin

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The man who Metro Police believe killed and threw a girl's body into a trash bin appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom today after he was brought here from Phoenix.

Authorities returned 37-year-old William Marshall to Las Vegas on Sunday and he was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of murder and one count of sexual assault with a victim under 14 years of age, detention center records show. He is being held without bail.

Marshall had his initial appearance in court today. He had been arrested at a Phoenix-area Motel 6 in mid-June.

FBI agents and Phoenix law enforcement officials found the mother, 22-year-old Darrean Williams, and Marshall in Tempe, Ariz. The mother was not arrested.

But Marshall stayed in an Arizona jail cell because he had an outstanding warrant in Missouri for a stolen car.

Gov. Jim Gibbons issued a governor's warrant to bring Marshall back to Las Vegas on probable cause, which is where he is facing charges in the death and sexual assault of 21-month-old Shia Travis, who was found in a trash bin at a Las Vegas apartment complex last month.

During the autopsy, medical investigators found blunt force trauma to the child's head, which weren't visible when her body was found by two homeless men going through a trash bin at 560 Sierra Vista Ave., police said.

According to the criminal complaint, the results of an autopsy indicated the girl also was raped.

In addition to the girl's injuries, police found two holes that matched the size of the girl's head in a bedroom wall of the apartment that contained her hair.

The autopsy revealed that the girl had died from a blow or blows to her head from fists or from being thrown against a wall.

Investigators also found similar hair in an empty section of the apartment's freezer where Marshall and the girl's mother lived. The hair matched that of the victim, police said.

The girl's body was found wrapped in a pillow case that detectives later matched to another one on a bed in Apt. 67 at 560 Sierra Vista, police said. That apartment had been rented by Williams and Marshall.

Police had been called to that same apartment on May 20 on a domestic dispute call, law enforcement records indicated. One of the officers on that earlier call recognized the lifeless child taken from the trash bin, records said.

Discussion: 14 comments so far…

By Bodytalk555

7/14/09 at 12:24 p.m.

Suggest removal

When this guy is convicted by a court of law there should be an immediate execution.
By suzy105

7/14/09 at 1:39 p.m.

Suggest removal

This is a piece of human garbage. He'll no doubt get his trial, be sentenced to 25 to life and then thrown in the can with other useless misfits of society. The taxpayers will be on the hook, feeding, clothing, housing and giving medical care to this scum for the rest of his life. We have to revamp our laws and get rid of this trash as soon as possible. He does not deserve to be a burden on society. There is no form of life lower than someone who would rape and kill an innocent child. A bullet for him is to humane. First cut of the parts, let him bleed a bit then shoot him!
By karebear

7/14/09 at 7:56 p.m.

Suggest removal

Amen suzy105! I say as a society that we need to just stop this kind of behavior. Give the victim's family first chance to take care of business and if they can't then offer a public lottery! I for one would like a little better return for my investment. This guy doesn't even deserve to be alive!
By geenab65

7/14/09 at 8:11 p.m.

Suggest removal

He won't last long in prison.
By Debbie_Lynn

7/14/09 at 10:16 p.m.

Suggest removal

And what about the 22 year old Mother?
By KillerB

7/15/09 at 7:18 a.m.

Suggest removal

Debbie Lynn -- good point, something this lynch mob always overlooks, along with a trial and enough evidence to convict.
By henderson

7/15/09 at 3:34 p.m.

Suggest removal

The mother was in Arizona working. She's a prostitute, and she left the baby with the pedophile/murderer.
By blacknight

7/15/09 at 4:28 p.m.

Suggest removal

this a very very sad situation; and, it is not a
good thing that children are not being allowed to
grow up with the innocence as children that God
intended with being molested and killed. An overhaul of how we set priorities of social behavior is overdue; however, this person should
never be allowed to hurt or kill anyone or any child again.
By Treeske

7/16/09 at 4:39 a.m.

Suggest removal

Never finding torture justified, in this case tempted to change my mind. This man is 38 years old, what else is in his past? he did not become a monster overnight. The mother is also responsible for this.
By Phargo

7/16/09 at 5:37 a.m.

Suggest removal

Just like the nature movies, the male lion comes upon cubs and kills them so he can impregnate the mama lion and continue his own genes. Yhis guy thinks he's a lion. I think the guys in the prison will have him wearing lipstick real quick.
By goingbust

7/16/09 at 10:16 a.m.

Suggest removal

Why was the toddler being held without bail and how did this feller kill her in jail anyway?
By frankkinney

7/20/09 at 10:18 a.m.

Suggest removal

black human garbage animal! 21 month old baby he throws against the wall! this smiling degenerate has a right to live on tax payers money for life? excuse me! might be back out in streets in couple of years in todays judicial system? hussein obama supporter? how ugly can a human being be anyway? louisiana 17 year old black rapes to death 8 month old baby? nice black brothers you think? seems to be increase in violence in the black world you think? congress passing hate crime bull bill? mighty ugly this new world order is beoming live today? akron ohio 50 black youths attack white family and are brutally beaten? pattern of open violence by degenerate blacks in our society today? we have media of nothing happening news reports? our jewish friends of authority journalist with stooge help? reality unemployment education movies TV all fix to keep reality from people in harms way today? millions and millions of illegal people in our homeland and the beat go's on? we suffer and pay the taxes to promote this behavior too? one illegal immigrant in new jersey assaults nine children ages 4-7? ugly and we all are suffering more and more in each passing day from animals monsters being created in our society and help of our own goverment? violence abductions children moms our elders all subject to open violence in our out of order system of goverment? goverment agenda for which we the people are not on that sotomayor page? look at this smiling creep! smiling for mug shot photo" and look what he is charged with too! we need this bum hanging around? yeah! on the end of rope in town square? INDEPENDENT nation armed. AMEN.
By kimberly0210

7/25/09 at 4:18 p.m.

Suggest removal

This isn't a race issue. I highly doubt that this man is
Evil because of the color of his skin. He is evil because
He is a f******g a**hole with a sick mind. How many white
Men have done the same thing? I am not defending this man,
I would just like if ignorant people would realize that
Not all black people are like this. I first off blame the
Whore of a mother, she should go to jail for sure. Then
This guy should be put to death. He does not deserve to
Live after what he has done.
By brooke_232005

8/18/09 at 11:03 a.m.

Comment removed by staff.