A 40-year-old Oakland man will serve 11 years in prison for the 2023 stabbing death of Curtis Marsh, a popular Black hair stylist, drag queen, and member of the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus. A county prosecutor blamed the former district attorney for the length of the sentence despite the brutality of the crime, the Bay Area Reporter reports.
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Sweven Waterman, 40, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges for the killing of Marsh, who was 53 when he was found stabbed to death in his burning Oakland apartment near Lake Merritt on March 4, 2023. Marsh was a popular member of the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus who also performed as a drag queen under the stage name Touri Monroe.
Oakland Police Department (OPD) arrested Waterman days later on March 10. Before his arrest, Waterman worked as a senior custodian with the University of California Berkeley’s Housing & Dining Services since August 2022.
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Before sentencing Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Colleen Claire Clark had harsh words for former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, who was recalled last month with 63 percent of the vote.
“I can only work with what charges were brought, and that was up to the former DA,” Cowell said of the sentence handed down to Waterman.
Cowell also read written statements from Marsh’s family, including his mother, Jacquelyn Kersh.
“Not only did you take my oldest son, you took someone who will be remembered as a caring, loving, and giving person,” Kersh wrote.
According to court documents, police responded to a report of smoke and a man screaming for help coming from Marsh’s apartment shortly after 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 4. The Oakland Fire Department was already on the scene and dealing with multiple fires inside the apartment when police arrived. Marsh was found nonresponsive and suffering from multiple stab wounds and trauma. He was pronounced dead at the scene by police.
“I heard screams, ‘help, help.’ I got up,” a neighbor who requested anonymity told local Fox affiliate KTVU. “My neighbor on the 4th floor was screaming and hollering that Curtis was dead. I was able to view his body. He was laying on his balcony bloodied.”
Investigators quickly identified Waterman as a suspect using surveillance video, electronic data, and witness statements. With the assistance of the University of California Police Department, officers from OPD arrested Waterman last Thursday afternoon at a UC Berkeley residence hall.
Related: Court date set in stabbing murder of gay Black Oakland man
Friends described Marsh as loving, gifted, and gracious.
“He was very sweet, very funny,” Steven Smith, who sang with Marsh in Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus, told KTVU. “He was an accomplished musician. Beautiful, beautiful voice.”
Marsh’s mother echoed the sentiments of her son’s friends in her written statement.
“He will be greatly missed by many but not forgotten," Kersh wrote.