SHIA TRAVIS - 21 months (2009) - Las Vegas NV

A preliminary hearing for a man charged with killing and sexually
assaulting a toddler whose body was found in an apartment complex trash
bin in June was delayed this morning in Las Vegas Justice Court.

William Marshall, 38, is charged with one count of murder and one
count of sexual assault with a victim under 14 years of age in the
death and alleged assault of 21-month-old Shia Travis, whose body was
found June 10 wrapped in a pillow case in a trash bin at 560 Sierra
Vista Ave.

Marshall was scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing this
morning but refused to be transferred from the Clark County Detention
Center, court officials said. Dan Silverstein, Marshall's public
defender, said there was miscommunication with his client -- he had
told Marshall he planned to ask Justice of the Peace Nancy Oesterle for
a continuance and Marshall believed that meant he didn't need to be
present in court, Silverstein said.

Attorneys today said the completed autopsy report had only been made
available to them this week. Silverstein said he needed more time to
review the autopsy records, which was why he asked for the continuance.

The preliminary hearing is now scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 18.

The toddler victim's body was found by two men looking for cans in
the trash bin behind Marshall's apartment complex, arrest records
indicate.

Marshall has been in custody since his July 11 arrest at a Tempe,
Ariz., motel where he was found with the toddler's mother, Darrean
Williams, 22. Williams, who lived in the apartment with Marshall,
hasn't been charged.

During the autopsy, medical investigators found blunt force trauma
to the child's head, according to an arrest report. Medical
investigators also said there were injuries consistent with rape.

When police searched the apartment, investigators found two holes
that matched the size of the girl's head in a bedroom wall that
contained her hair. An autopsy revealed that the girl had died from a
blow or blows to her head from fists or from being thrown against a
wall.

Records indicate 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.

Investigators found a pillow missing a case in the apartment. They
also found diapers that matched the size and type the toddler was
wearing.

A 38-year-old man charged with killing and sexually assaulting a
toddler girl whose body was found in an apartment complex trash bin in
June was arraigned Wednesday in District Court, despite his refusal to
be transported from the county jail.



William Marshall pleaded not guilty to one count of murder with a
deadly weapon and one count of sexual assault of a minor under 14 years
of age, through his attorney, Joseph Abood, who entered the plea on his
client’s behalf.

In October, Marshall declined to be transported for a preliminary hearing on the charges in Justice Court.

A grand jury on Dec. 2 indicted Marshall on the two counts, thereby
binding the case to District Court and vacating the preliminary hearing
date of Dec. 18. A trial date was set for Feb. 8 in front of District
Court Judge David Wall.

Marshall is being held in the death and alleged assault of
21-month-old Shia Travis. Her body was found in a trash bin June 10
wrapped in a pillowcase in the 500 block of Sierra Vista Avenue, behind
Marshall’s apartment complex.

The toddler's body was found by two men looking for cans in the trash bin, records indicate.

Marshall has been in custody since his July 11 arrest at a Tempe,
Ariz., motel where he was found with the toddler's mother, 22-year-old
Darrean Williams. Williams, who lived in the apartment with Marshall,
was not charged.

During the autopsy, medical investigators found blunt force trauma
to the child's head, according to an arrest report. Medical
investigators also said there were injuries consistent with rape.

When police searched the apartment, investigators found two holes
that matched the size of the girl's head in a bedroom wall that
contained her hair. An autopsy revealed that the girl had died from a
blow or blows to her head from fists or from being thrown against a
wall.

The grand jury indictment charges Marshall with murdering Shia by
striking her head or body against a wall or with an unknown blunt
object.

Records indicate investigators found hair that was likely Shia’s in
an empty section of the apartment's freezer where Marshall and the
girl's mother lived. They also learned a pillowcase was missing from
the apartment. Diapers that matched the size and type the toddler was
wearing were also found in the home, documents indicate.

Marshall is being held without bail in the Clark County Detention Center.

Trial delayed again for man accused of raping, killing toddler found in trash bin

Tuesday, April 19, 2011
A murder trial for a Las Vegas man accused of sexually abusing and killing his girlfriend's 21-month-old daughter in 2009 has been delayed for more than a year.
William Marshall, 39, is charged with murder with the use of a deadly weapon and sexual assault in connection with the death of Shia Faye Travis. The toddler's body was found June 10, 2009, wrapped in a pillow case in a trash bin at 560 Sierra Vista Ave.
Marshall's jury trial, which had been delayed twice already, was to have started Monday, but was delayed again at the request of his public defender, Danny Silverstein.
Judge Jessie Walsh set the new trial date for 1 p.m. July 2, 2012, in Clark County District Court.
Marshall has been held without bail in the Clark County Detention Center since July 11, 2009. He was indicted by a grand jury on Dec. 2, 2009.
The toddler's body was found June 10, 2009, by two men looking for cans in a trash bin behind Marshall's apartment complex, according to an arrest report. Officers said the body was clothed in only a diaper with a Winnie the Pooh design.
Marshall has been in custody since his arrest at a Tempe, Ariz., motel where he was found with the toddler's mother, Darrean Williams, 22.
Williams, who lived in the Las Vegas apartment with Marshall, told police she was in Phoenix earning money. Williams' sister has told police she was a prostitute and had traveled to the Phoenix area to work, leaving Shia under Marshall's care.
Detectives said Williams told them she had sent Marshall $900 from Phoenix on June 8, 2009, and that he had picked up the money. Detectives said they found that Marshall had purchased a Greyhound bus ticket showing a departure date of 6:20 a.m. June 10, 2009, from Las Vegas to Phoenix.
During the autopsy, medical investigators found blunt force trauma to the child's head, according to an arrest report. Medical investigators also said there were injuries consistent with rape.
When police searched the apartment, investigators found two softball-sized divots in a bedroom wall that matched the size of the girl's head and also contained her hair. An autopsy revealed that the girl had died from a blow or blows to her head from fists or from being thrown against a wall.
Records indicate 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.
Investigators found a pillow missing a case in the apartment. They also found diapers that matched the size and type Shia Travis was wearing.
Officers said that on May 20, 2009, police had responded to a domestic dispute at Marshall's and Williams' apartment and that one of the officers had spent quite a bit of time with the child. The officer positively identified the child found in the dumpster as the same girl in the apartment on May 20, 2009, the police report said.
The photo of the deceased child was also identified by her paternal grandparents, according to police.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/apr/19/trial-man-accused-raping-and-killing-toddler-girl-/