Worcester man charged with murder in fatal stabbing of college student from 2008
A Worcester man has been indicted on a murder charge in the 2008 fatal stabbing of a Becker College student, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
On Tuesday, a grand jury indicted 40-year-old Marquis Brown in the death of 19-year-old William Smith, the district attorney's office said in a press release. He pleaded not guilty to the charge during his arraignment in Worcester County Superior Court later that day, according to court records.
On Sept. 21, 2008, Worcester police responded to 101 Highland St. for reports of a large fight, the district attorney's office said. At the scene, they found a crowd of people and several ongoing skirmishes.
As one officer approached the intersection of North Ashland and Dix Streets, he noticed someone carrying a young man who had been stabbed in the chest, the district attorney's office said. The man, who was later identified as Smith, was rushed to a local hospital where he was declared dead.
Brown was arrested in Worcester on Tuesday without incident, the district attorney's office said. He was held without bail following his arraignment and is due back in court on July 21.
Worcester resident Steven Black, 39, was also indicted in connection with Smith's death on a charge of perjury, the district attorney's office said. He was arraigned in Worcester County Superior Court on June 6 and released on $5,000 cash bail with a GPS monitoring device and conditions of release.
Attorney Maura Tansley — Brown's defense lawyer — did not immediately return a request for comment on the case Wednesday night. No further information about the case has been released.
Becker College was a private institution with campuses in Worcester and Leicester that closed for good in 2021 due to financial struggles. Its legacy is carried on at Worcester's Clark University, which opened the Becker School of Design & Technology in the wake of the college's closure, allowing for the continuation of some of the school's most renowned programs.
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