A St. Louis man who admitted recording the sexual abuse of a five-year-old child on his cellphone has been ordered to spend the next three decades in federal prison. Marshall Williams, 41, was sentenced Thursday to 30 years after federal prosecutors said a family member stumbled across videos of the abuse in March 2024. According to court documents, relatives confronted Williams, and he fled before authorities tracked him down in Columbia, Missouri.
Guilty Plea and Production Charge
Williams pleaded guilty in November to one count of producing child pornography and admitted he filmed the abuse in March 2024, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri. Prosecutors said the production charge carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a statutory maximum of 30 years in federal prison, the maximum he ultimately received.
Sentence and Arrest
The 30-year sentence was handed down in federal court on Thursday, First Alert 4 reported. Prosecutors told the outlet that the child’s aunt discovered the videos in March 2024. Family members confronted Williams, who then fled the area, and he was later located and arrested in Columbia, Missouri.
Investigation and Project Safe Childhood
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case alongside federal prosecutors. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the prosecution was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative that coordinates federal, state and local efforts to combat child sexual exploitation, according to the press release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson handled the case for the government.
Background
Hoodline previously reported on Williams’ November guilty plea and detailed how the videos were found and how the charges followed. its earlier report on the guilty plea also noted the then-scheduled sentencing date and linked to the statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
