Edenton man arrested on decades-old child sex charges commits suicide

EDENTON, N.C. (WITN) - An Edenton man arrested for multiple sex crimes has committed suicide, according to an Eastern Carolina police chief.

Edenton Police Chief Henry King said 68-year-old Marshall Williford died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Saturday morning.

The chief said it happened around 10:10 a.m. in the parking lot of the Chowan County Public Safety Center on West Freemason Street.

King said their investigation has determined Williford’s death was a suicide.

According to The State Bureau of Investigation, the Edenton man was arrested on September 22nd at his home and charged with several crimes including rape and indecent liberties.

Agents said that they were contacted in May by the Windsor Police Department and asked to help them with a rape that had been reported that allegedly happened several decades ago.

The investigation showed that there are actually multiple victims of the alleged rapes that they say happened across a span of 10 years between 1978 and 1988.

The victims ranged between 5 and 14 years old when the alleged rapes happened, according to the SBI.

Williford was charged with four counts of first-degree kidnapping, four counts of indecent liberties with children, one count of second-degree rape, and one count of statutory sex offenses.

He was given a $900,000 secured bond and Chief King says it’s his understanding that Williford posted bond.

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