A former janitor at UC Berkeley has opted not to stand trial for the March 2023 killing of a beloved Oakland Gay Men's Chorus member and sometime drag performer, who died in his own apartment after what appeared to be an early morning hookup.

Sweven Waterman, the sole suspect in the March 4, 2023 murder of 53-year-old Curtis Marsh in Oakland, has pleaded no contest to a charge of voluntary manslaughter in exchange for a 11-year prison sentence. The Berkeley Scanner reports on the plea deal, which was revealed at a brief court hearing last month. Marsh also admitted to being on parole at the time of the killing.

As of last summer, following multiple delays in the case, Waterman appeared to be heading to trial, but it appears the preponderance of evidence against him led him and his attorney to choose otherwise.

Waterman, 40, was seen entering Marsh's apartment building early in the morning on March 4, 2023, and a Lime scooter he'd rented also placed him at the scene. Neighbors heard sounds of a fight, and screams for help by Marsh, before they then witnessed him collapse, nude and bloodied, on his rear patio.

Two small arson fires at the scene were extinguished by a sprinkler system, and police said Waterman left the building at 7:45 am, about two hours after he arrived, around the time of the fight that neighbors heard.

All signs in the case pointed to a hookup gone wrong, and it was not clear from evidence presented in a preliminary hearing whether Marsh and Waterman had encountered each other previously. They communicated via phone around 5:10 am that morning, police said, and Waterman arrived 20 minutes later.

Marsh died from multiple stab wounds to his neck, back, and head.

He's remembered as a hairstylist, church choir member, drag performer (under the name Touri Monroe), and member of the Oakland Gay Men's Chorus. In an obituary, relatives said he had a "larger than life personality."

Waterman was already a convicted felon who had last left a federal lockup in 2016. He had a significant record that included multiple parole violations, and began with a juvenile arrest in 1997 for armed robbery.

As the Berkeley Scanner reports, Waterman will now be formally sentenced on January 31. He's been held without bail at Santa Rita Jail, and with time served, he may only serve another nine years.

Previously: UC Berkeley Custodian Accused of Killing Oakland Gay Men's Chorus Member Will Stand Trial