Man arrested and charged with death of man on Sixth Street
The Austin Police Department has arrested and charged a man with the death of a man on Sixth Street in downtown Austin on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. 28-year-old Nathan Raynard Marshall has been charged with manslaughter, a second degree felony, in the death of Marques Johnson.
Marshall is currently being held in the Travis County Jail. His bond is set at $150,000.
On Sunday officers with the Austin Police Department were flagged down after a man had been knocked unconscious. When police officers arrived on scene, Marques Johnson was lying in the street.
Johnson was transported by ATCEMS to Dell Seton in critical condition where he later died.
During their investigation, police officers learned that Johnson had exchanged words with Marshall and a Caucasian male who were together. Following the argument, Johnson turned and walked away.
The two men followed Johnson. The Caucasian male threw an object at Johnson, striking him. According to court documents, witnesses said the object was a slice of pizza. Johnson stopped and turned to face the men when Marshall punched Johnson. A witness told police Johnson fell to the ground and was unconscious immediately.
Both men then fled.
After APD released video surveillance of the suspect, they received numerous calls identifying him as Marshall. Police learned he was already in custody for a separate charge of assault on a security officer at Dell Seton.
While in custody, Marshall admitted to police he "sucker punched" a black male after he says the male smashed pizza out of another man's hands, according to court documents.
Johnson's preliminary cause of death was determined to be blunt trauma to the head, according to an arrest affidavit. Marshall has been charged with manslaughter.
Detectives are still interested in talking with the Caucasian male who was with Nathan Marshall that morning and asks that anyone with information regarding his identity or this incident call the Homicide Tip Line at 512-477-3588 or Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS or text "Tip 103" + your message to CRIMES or use the new Crime Stoppers App. You can also submit tips by downloading APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, for free.