Conviction Of Child Rapist Sentenced To Life In Prison Upheld On Appeal

The conviction of 52-year old Timothy Marble, of Napa, CA, sentenced to serve life in prison without possibility of parole for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 13-year old Napa County girl, was upheld on appeal yesterday in a decision by the California Court of Appeal. The defendant was convicted by a Sonoma County jury in November 2018 of multiple felonies, including forcible rape following the administration of a controlled substance to a minor, forcible oral copulation in the course of an aggravated kidnapping, and three counts of having committed lewd and lascivious acts on a minor under the age of fourteen. The defendant was also convicted of having suffered a previous conviction for a serious and violent offense. The case was presided over by the Honorable Dana Simonds who sentenced to the maximum allowable term.

The convictions resulted from events that began in the early morning hours of March 31, 2017 when the defendant introduced himself to the 13-year old victim at a gas station in Napa.  He became friendly with the minor and invited her to take a ride with him, to which she agreed. After some time, the defendant persuaded her to try methamphetamine with him. After injecting the victim with the drug, he took advantage of her disoriented state by driving her to a secluded area where he sexually assaulted her for the first time. Following the assault, the defendant continued to keep the minor intoxicated with methamphetamine while driving her aimlessly through Napa and Sonoma Counties. Throughout this car ride, the defendant threatened, beat, and continued to sexually assault the girl. At 5 am the next morning, while driving south on Highway 1 through the town of Bodega Bay, the victim jumped out of the defendant’s moving car to escape. She hid from the defendant and was eventually rescued with the assistance of a security guard who happened to be in the area, who used his phone to compel the defendant to call 911. The defendant was arrested on scene. Amongst the numerous items found in his truck were a knife, multiple needles for intravenous drug use, the victim’s clothing and shoes, and a “to-do” list which indicated a plan to kidnap a little girl.

The defendant was sentenced to the maximum allowable term of life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 100 years-to-life in prison, to run consecutively, in accordance with the recommendations of the District Attorney’s Office and the Sonoma County Probation Department. The victim, her counselor, and her family were present for the reading of the sentence and though they elected not to address the court, they expressed their immense satisfaction with the outcome.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Laura Passaglia, who was assisted by District Attorney Advocate Rocio Torres-Murphy and District Attorney Investigator Kris Allen. Detective Mathew Regan of Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office headed the investigation