Ruschell Fireall | Homicide Watch Trenton

William Marshall gets 30-year sentence for murder of Ruschell Fireall

Isaac Avilucea — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 19:24:08 -0500

With more than two dozen arrests and nine convictions on his record, William Marshall was a career criminal. But despite his shortcomings, he was beloved by his ex-girlfriend’s family. They had known him since he was a teenager, even had a nickname for him — Dollar — and tried to help him overcome his past demons.

He betrayed that trust on Nov. 16, 2012, when Marshall, distraught over the disintegration of his relationship with Ruschell Fireall, used his vehicle to run his former lover off the road and then shot her multiple times with a 9 mm handgun on Pennington Avenue in front of her family.

Marshall, 46, will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after he was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in prison for the murder.

Days before the murder, Marshall had repeatedly assured his ex-girlfriend’s family he would hurt himself before he would hurt her, making the betrayal harder for them to fathom.

The couple knew each other since they were 14 years old. Fireall’s relatives had absorbed Marshall into the family and considered him one of their own. Many of them showed up to the sentencing wearing memory shirts.

Dwayne Latimar, the victim’s brother, said Marshall betrayed that trust and affection by gunning down a loving mother and sister after she broke off the relationship and filed for a restraining order. Latimar was one of more than a dozen family members who showed up at Marshall’s sentencing.

The last time he spoke to his sister was a week before the murder. She had told him she feared Marshall, who had grown increasingly menacing in the month and a half since she chose to end the relationship. Latimar stared directly at Marshall while he spoke, forcing him to recall their last conversation. “I told you, ‘Stop kicking my sister’s door in.’”

Latimar said Marshall assured him he loved Fireall and would never hurt him, that he was just stung by her decision to leave. Feeling for Marshall, Latimar took a $100 bill from his pocket and handed it to Marshall. Marshall hugged and thanked him.

“Everybody on that side gave you love and supported you,” Latimar said, pointing toward his family. “Aint none of your family is here. Your family was right there. You took everything from my family, dog.”

Then he gunned down the 42-year-old Fireall, accompanied a friend to a casino and fled to Georgia to hide from authorities. He was taken into custody weeks later after an intensive manhunt, Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Michelle Gasparian said.

“If she didn’t want to be with him, she would cease to exist,” she said.

Fireall’s 14-year-old daughter Breanna said she blamed herself for the death. She lamented her mother won’t be able to see her graduate from eighth grade. She still has a hard time coming to grips with the fact that her mother’s killer is someone she was close with.

“This man said he loved my mom,” she said. “He was a well-put-together man on the outside, but I was too young to know that he had a poker face.”

Fireall’s adult daughter, Emerald Turner, shared memories of her mother and told Marshall he had stripped her of an opportunity to make more.

“You were sentenced to 30 years,” she said. “But you sentenced her to death.”

William Marshall admits role in 2012 slaying, will get 30-year sentence

Paul Mickle — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:08:50 -0400

William Marshall choked back tears Friday as he admitted to shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend; in return for his admission he will receive a prison sentence of 30 years.

Ruschell Fireall, 42, was shot multiple times on Nov. 16, 2012. Ex-con Marshall, who has served time for assault and burglary offenses, admitted that he used his car to run Fireall’s off the road so that he could shoot her dead along Pennington Avenue. Fireall’s mother witnessed the murder.

According to prosecutors in the case, Fireall had placed a restraining order against Marshall, and she and her mother were attempting to escape his pursuit when Marshall ran her vehicle off of the road. When Fireall exited the car to confront him, prosecutors say, Marshall fired several shots and left her to die.

Considered armed and dangerous, Marshall then fled to Georgia, according to prosecutors, and he was apprehended in Atlanta 10 days after the murder. He was found inside a residence in the 3800 block of Camp Creek Parkway, and resisted arrest to the point where police had to use a Taser to subdue him.

Some of Fireall’s relatives could be heard crying in court Friday as her murder was detailed for Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier. The judge told Marshall, now 46, that he’s going to be an old man before he’s eligible for parole. The plea deal, worked out between Assistant Mercer Prosecutor Michelle Gasparian and defense lawyer Christopher Campbell, includes Marshall’s conviction for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Prosecutors will recommend a 30-year prison sentence.

-Trentonian reporter Penny Ray contributed to this report.

Marshall offered 30-year prison term in Fireall slaying

Paul Mickle — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 20:34:30 -0400

Ex-con William Marshall was offered a 30-year prison term Wednesday for a guilty plea to running a former girlfriend’s car off the road so he could shoot her dead in the street.

William Marshall

Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier told Marshall “has a lot to think about” because if he goes to trial and gets convicted in the murder of Ruschell Fireall he could get 63 years before eligibility for parole, maybe more.

Marshall, 46, who has a record for assault and burglary, allegedly chased 42-year-old Fireall in his car as she was trying to escape with her mother in her car along Pennington Road on Nov. 16, 2012.

When her car crashed, Marshall allegedly jumped from his vehicle and fired repeatedly at Fireall as the victim’s mother watched.

Billmeier gave Marshall and his lawyer, Christopher Campbell, until Oct. 24 to decide on the plea offer, which was made by Assistant Mercer Prosecutor Michelle Gasparian.

In shackles and orange, Marshall appeared for the hearing, as did a couple of his friend and relatives of slain Fireall.

The suspect has been locked up since 10 days after the slaying, when he was arrested in Atlanta following an attempt to run thwarted by a Taser.

Hearing set to determine possible pattern of abuse against murder victim Ruschell Fireall

Paul Mickle — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 16:26:29 -0400

A hearing that could expose his past criminal record was set up today for the guy known as Dollar Bill charged with running a former girlfriend’s car off the road and shooting her dead at the curb as her mother watched.

William Marshall, 46, who has a record for assault and burglary, is charged with murder, aggravated assault and weapons offenses for the slaying of 42-year-old Ruschell Fireall in November 2012.

Authorities said Fireall and her Mom were trying to escape from Marshall as they drove along Pennington Road on Nov. 16, that year.

Police said he used his car to run hers off the road, then jumped out of his wreck and shot the woman to death next to her car – with her mother witnessing it all.

Aka "Dollar Bill," the suspect fled to Atlanta, where he was captured 10 days later by cops who had to Taser him because he tried to run. He’s in for a so-called 404 B hearing, in which his past will be reviewed to determine if the events of Nov. 16, 2012, were part of continuing pattern of abuse of the victim.

Communities of Light raises awareness for domestic violence victims

Brian Dzenis — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:48:17 -0500

Womanspace, a Mercer County non-profit aimed to support victims of domestic violence regardless of age, race or gender, held its 11th annual Communities of Light vigil at City Hall last night. In Trenton, domestic violence is believed to be behind two homicides this year. On Nov. 16, Ruschell Fireall was allegedly killed by William Marshall, a man whom Fireall had taken out a restraining order against and Courtney Levine was allegedly killed by David Noncent after intervening in a altercation between his sister and Noncent, her boyfriend.

“We feel it whenever there is a domestic homicide,” Patricia Hart, the director of Womanspace said. “We wonder what we could have done to help.”

The vigil was held not just for those who have been lost to domestic violence, but for those who may still be struggling with the issue. And not just in Trenton, but across Mercer County and the state.

“The city is not immune to domestic violence,” Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson said. “It’s not just one person beating up their partner, we’ve found that 30 to 40 percent of kids witness this and it’s teaching them the wrong thing.”

At the vigil, luminaries that were sold with the proceeds going to Womanspace, were lit along the steps of City Hall. Hart encouraged people who purchased luminaries to display them elsewhere for victims to see.

“The luminaries send a light of hope to let them know that their neighbors support them,” Hart said. “If a victim sees them, they can come forward and not be embarrassed about it, they don’t need to be scared.”

Luminaries also were lit by three of Fireall’s friends along the 500 block of East State Street in remembrance of her and all other victims of domestic violence. Fireall’s death motivated Sylvia Sapp, a friend of Fireall’s, to volunteer with Womanspace.

“It’s what pushed me to volunteer, it felt like it was one of my relatives,” Sapp said. “I’ve encountered some of the same situations.”

“We have a tendency that we can’t live without that person, but when you leave, that’s when you really become free,” she added.

Friends referred to Fireall as “Shelly” when speaking of her, describing her as a fun-filled and spiritual individual.

“Her funeral was packed, that outpouring of love for her really spoke to her character,” Dora Jones, a friend who is considering volunteering with Womanspace, said. “This just hit to close to home, like it was right in my living room.”

For confidential information or assistance, victims or their families can contact the Mercer County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline at (609) 394-9000.

U.S. Marshals arrest Trenton murder suspect in Atlanta

Trentonian Staff — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 06:51:11 -0500

By SULAIMAN ABDUR-RAHMAN
Staff Writer
TRENTON — At-large murder suspect William Marshall, who was wanted for the Nov. 16 homicide of his ex-girlfriend Ruschell Fireall, was arrested Monday afternoon in Atlanta, according to Trenton Police Director Ralph Rivera Jr.

William Marshall

“He was picked up today in Atlanta, Ga., by U.S. Marshals and local authorities,” Rivera said Monday night of the arrest of Marshall. “U.S. Marshals had been looking at investigative leads on him over the last several days.”
The officers nabbed Marshall inside a residential household on the 3800 block of Camp-Creek Parkway, according to Rivera.
“He gave a little resistance. He tried to avoid police apprehension, and I believe he had to be Tasered to arrest,” Rivera said of Marshall. “My understanding was that he was unarmed.”

Marshall, 44, was considered armed and dangerous. He’s accused of chasing 42-year-old Fireall, his ex-girlfriend, until she parked her car on the sidewalk of the 300 block of Pennington Avenue.
Fireall, who had placed a restraining order against Marshall, got out of her car to confront him when she was fatally shot multiple times earlier this month, according to police.

Ruschell Fireall

Rivera praised the U.S. Marshals for getting Marshall off the street, saying, “A very dangerous guy has been arrested. We’re very happy to hear this individual has been captured.”
According to New Jersey court records, Marshall had served time in prison on assault and burglary charges.
Marshall on Monday was being held in the state of Georgia. He could waive extradition and soon be transported to New Jersey to answer his charges here. If Marshall doesn’t waive extradition, Rivera said Trenton Police Department Detective Edgar Rios and Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Sgt. Tom Watters will be in Georgia on Thursday to question Marshall.
“We can’t wait,” Rivera said. “We want to get this resolved and interview him as soon as possible.”
Fireall was a mother who became the city’s 21st homicide victim of 2012. The city as of Monday had 22 homicide victims this year.
“I’m just happy that with all the negative things that are going on in Trenton that officials took a priority to ensure this gentleman was captured,” Trenton City Council President Phyllis Holly-Ward said on Monday of Marshall’s arrest.

Police make three arrests, issue warrant in Friday homicides

Brian Dzenis — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:39:16 -0500

Trenton police have arrested three men in connection with the murder of Emilio Lopez and have issued a warrant for the arrest of William Marshall in connection to the murder of Ruschell Fireall.

William Marshall

Lopez, 34, was killed on the 100 block of Kent Street in what was initially reported as a stabbing, but police later learned he had been fatally shot.
Witnesses reported that a van had pulled up and someone shot Lopez at point-blank range.
Det. Brian Egan along with Det. Tony Abarno of the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office were assigned to the case and spent the weekend canvassing for witnesses and reviewed video surveillance.
The detectives, with the assistance of detectives Ryan Woodhead and Jason Snyder and officers Jonathan Woodhead and Luis Vega, had enough information to arrest Trenton residents Roberto Cruz, 31, Jose Rivera, 19 and Kenneth Rivera, 19.
They were each charged with murder and weapons offenses. The case is still an ongoing investigation.
Marshall is accused of chasing Fireall, his ex-girlfriend, until she parked her car on the sidewalk of the 300 block of Pennington Avenue.

Fireall, who had placed a restraining order against Marshall, got out of her car to confront him when she was shot multiple times.

Ruschell Fireall

Marshall, 44, is considered to be armed and dangerous. According to New Jersey court records, he had served time in prison on assault and burglary charges. Det. Edgar Rios and Det. Tom Watters from the prosecutor's office are investigating the case.
Anyone with information in either case can call Trenton police at (609) 989-4000 or contact Crime Stoppers at (609) 278-8477, or texting to 274637 with the keyword “TCTIPS,” or submitting a tip online at trentoncrimestoppers.com.

Two Trenton homicides in one night

Brian Dzenis — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 01:57:11 -0500

There have been two homicides in two separate incidents Friday.

The first one occurred just before 11:00 p.m. the 300 block of Pennington Avenue, by the Super Food grocery store.
Police have confirmed the homicide, but released no further information.
A silver vehicle was seen up on the sidewalk and crashed into a fence. A witness in the area said he saw an elderly woman being taken away by paramedics at the scene. She appeared to be conscious and talking.

The second one occurred around 11:45 p.m. on Kent and Division streets.
Police who were guarding the scene of the earlier homicide rushed to the scene of the second.

A man was shot* in the street near the hood of a parked vehicle. A resident in the area said he had heard some commotion that sounded like the victim was running from his attacker. The man was taken to the Capital Health Regional Medical Center, but did not survive.

*Police initially reported this homicide as a stabbing, but later determined the victim was killed by a gunshot fired at close range.