THE FOLLOWING IS A VERMILION COUNTY STATE’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE RELEASE
Bryant Marshall, formerly of Danville, Illinois, was sentenced today by Vermilion County Judge Derek Girton to sixty-five (65) years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the First Degree Murder of Marlene Brown. The sentence must be served at one hundred percent (100%), and his sentence will be followed by three (3) years of Mandatory Supervised Release (i.e., Parole). Also, upon completion of his prison sentence, Marshall will be required to register as a Murderer pursuant to the Illinois Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act for ten (10) years.
Marshall pleaded guilty to the charge earlier this year, and at today’s sentencing hearing, Judge Girton heard details surrounding the crime. Marshall and Ms. Brown had a dating relationship, but Marshall unjustifiably began to suspect Ms. Brown of seeing other men. This misapprehension led to the two arguing at her residence on the 300 block of North Washington Street, Danville, Illinois, on December 15, 2018.
During the course of arguing with Ms. Brown, Marshall threatened her life. After the argument, rather than return to his own apartment, Marshall concealed himself in the back of Ms. Brown’s sport utility vehicle that was parked on the roadway just outside her home. He lay in wait,armed with a handgun. When the back hatch was opened, Marshall jumped from the vehicle and, in the middle of the street, fired multiple rounds into the head of his victim. Marshall was apprehended late that night, and he provided a full confession to law enforcement. Ten days later, on Christmas morning, then only twenty-nine (29) year old Marlene Brown succumbed to the injuries inflicted.
During the sentencing hearing, Ms. Brown’s eldest sister, Katherline Smith, addressed the Court, and she tearfully described the overwhelming devastation that Marshall’s crime has wrought upon her family. Most notably, Ms. Smith expressed the adverse physical, mental, and emotional impact the murder has had upon the victim’s six (6) children. She noted, “They now have trust issues, they have permanent psychological scars, the perception of their world has changed, they fear the world now, and their hearts are forever broken, as nothing or no one can replace that nurturing love they had from their mother.”
Judge Girton, in rendering his judgment, addressed Marshall specifically. His Honor poignantly noted that Marshall’s crime was “beyond senseless,” and that Marshall himself was “beyond selfish.” The Court further noted that the significant sentence was necessary to deter others from committing similar acts in violence. Such acts, as the Judge noted, unfortunately continue to escalate not just across this Country, but specifically here in Vermilion County