TOLEDO, Ohio — A Toledo woman's family is holding out hope she will finally get the justice she deserves, two decades after her rape and murder.
Starlet Bell, 60, who now lives in Texas, remembers April 15, 2000, like it was yesterday. She was at work as a nurse in Toledo when she learned one of her nieces, 19-year-old Chrishana Logan, was murdered.
"My [other] niece [called me and] is screaming at the top of her lungs. At the same time, I hear on the TV a young lady had been murdered and then the name came across the screen," Bell said.
According to the Toledo Police Department, Logan was sexually assaulted and strangled inside her apartment on the 2400 block of Robinwood Avenue in central Toledo.
"Her life was cut short at the worst time because she was so excited about a new start," Bell said. "Coming to Texas and going to college. It was all taken away from her."
Initially in the case, Logan's boyfriend was arrested and charged with murder on April 16, 2000. However, DNA found at the scene was found to not belong to him and those charges were dismissed.
An indictment unsealed Jan. 15, 2021 charges Kenneth Marshall, 54, of Hammond, Indiana, with her death as well as the rapes of two minors. Marshall is charged with aggravated murder, murder and felonious assault - all with a sexual motivation.
On Jan. 4, 2021, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation notified Toledo police and the Lucas County Prosecutor's Office that a DNA match was discovered for the three connected cases and that DNA belonged to Kenneth Marshall.
Marshall was taken into custody on Jan. 15 by the Hammond Police Department in Hammond, Indiana. Lucas County cold case task force members interviewed Marshall after his arrest.
He was extradited to Ohio and booked into the Lucas County Jail on Jan. 25. Marshall appeared for an arraignment by video on Jan. 29 and his bond was set at $1.3 million.
Bell believes Marshall knew her niece because Logan was an exotic dancer.
"I actually believe he followed her from there. I don't believe it was random. At all," Bell said. "I heard rumors of her being afraid of a guy who really matched [Marshall's] description. When I saw his picture, I actually said to my sister, that looks like the guy she used to describe."
Bell said Chrishana is at peace now and it's time her family got peace as well. They never gave up hope for answers and hope Marshall gets life in prison, if convicted.
Marshall pleads not guilty. His next court appearance is April 8.
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