Mother seeks justice for daughter murdered in random act of violence

Shirley Marshall is still trying to process her grief in the wake of her daughter's death. Taylor Marshall, 22, was found dead in her home on Sept. 7, the victim of what the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service is calling a random attack.

Taylor Marshall, 22, was found dead in her home in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. on Sept. 7/23. (Supplied)One person has been charged in connection with her death and he remains in custody as Marshall's family continues to seek closure.

"It's been really solemn and shocking and out-of-body experience really," said Marshall, who explained she has been trying to put her grief aside in order to focus on achieving justice for her daughter.

"I wouldn't say that we're back to normal by any means," she said.

"We are finding our own ways of healing throughout this. And then we do know that even though we're grieving for Taylor, that there is still…it's not going to be over, that there's still a long process to go."

Marshall frequently travels between the Sault and Calgary, where Taylor's younger brother Spencer – who is autistic – currently resides. Marshall said while he does grasp that something has happened to his sister, he is processing things differently.

"I might hear about it in a month about how his sister died and I'll go through that with him at that time," said Marshall.

In an effort to keep her daughter's memory alive, Marshall has set up a social media page called ‘Justice for Taylor Marshall,’ which has more than 1,500 followers.

"They refer to themselves as 'Taylor's Army,'" said Marshall.

"It's to make sure that they're going to be following us right through, right to the end to make sure that Taylor gets the justice she deserves."

Shirley Marshall, a mother grieving the loss of her daughter in what police called a random act of violence, as started a social media group in her daughter Taylor's honour to keep her memory alive and "to make sure that Taylor gets the justice she deserves." (Mike McDonald/CTV News Northern Ontario)Marshall told CTV News that she is grateful for all of the community support she continues to receive.

"I want to thank all of our supporters, Taylor's supporters, for really just giving out the message that she mattered, that it's important that the person who did this goes away and does not come out of jail," she said.

Steven Jones of Toronto is charged in connection with the murder of Taylor Marshall. Jones has been in custody since his arrest last month and is expected to make a court appearance this week.

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The allegations against Jones have not been tested in court. 

A photo of the 22-year-old homicide victim, Taylor Marshall, uploaded to her social media account May 8/23. (Facebook)