Former East Texas coach sentenced to 100 years in prison for sexual abuse of child

LINDEN – A Cass County jury has found former East Texas coach Aaron Michael Marshall guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child, two counts of sexual assault of a child and six counts of indecency with a child by contact.

Marshall was arrested back in Feb. 2022 after an investigation by the Linden Police Department was opened due to accusations of sexual abuse of a child from 2016 through 2020. He was initially charged with:

6 counts of indecency with a child by contact
3 counts of sexual assault of a child
1 count of continuous sexual assault of a child

According to the Cass County District Attorney’s Office, Marshall’s adopted daughter told the jury that she was sexually abused by Marshall from ages 12 to 16, roughly between the years 2015 to 2019.

The DA’s office said “this abuse included inappropriate touching, fondling and digital penetration.”
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Testimonies were heard from the wife of Marshall, the lead investigator and a child forensic interviewer. Marshall chose to testify for his defense along with his sister and a friend.

The DA’s office stated the mother testified that the abuse stopped in 2019 when she “suspected something improper after seeing Marshall leaving her daughter’s room late at night.”

Marshall denied these claims, according to officials, but allegedly admitted that he intended on touching his step-daughter.

Officials said the victim did not reveal the abuse until three years later in 2022, and an expert witness in the case testified that “it is common for child victims not to disclose abuse immediately due to various factors, such as closeness to the abuser and feelings of guilt and shame.”

Once the investigation began, Marshall reportedly admitted to his now ex-wife that he did touch her daughter but “downplayed the extent and duration.”

After listening and reviewing the evidence presented in court, the jury took about two hours to come to a unanimous guilty verdict. The jury asked the judge to hand down a punishment of 50 years for continuous sexual abuse, 10 years for each sexual assault count and 5 years for each indecency count.

The state then motioned to stack the sentences which led to Judge Bill Miller to sentence Marshall to a total of 100 years in prison.

“The Cass County District Attorney’s Office is extremely grateful to the jury for delivering justice to the victim and making sure that Marshall is never able to harm another child. We would also like to recognize the contributions of the Linden Texas police department, Texas Attorney General Investigator Cody Sartor and forensic interviewer Maureen Fletcher from the Texarkana Children’s Advocacy Center. Their cooperation and dedication were vital to seeking justice for the victim in this case.”
The Cass County Criminal District Attorney’s Office