OAKLAND — A Bay Area man was given an 11-year prison sentence for killing an acquaintance who was known for his work as a drag performer and singer around the region, court records show.
Sweven Waterman, 40, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of 53-year-old Curtis Marsh, who sometimes performed under the pseudonym Touri Monroe. As part of the plea deal, Alameda County prosecutors dropped a murder charge against Waterman.
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Waterman was transferred to state prison in late February and is currently housed at the California Healthcare Facility in Stockton, records show. He was linked to the fatal March 2023 stabbing by DNA found in Marsh’s apartment, though until that point police were focused on a different person of interest, court records show.
Waterman worked as a janitor for UC Berkeley at the time. A native of Burlington, Iowa, Marsh was part of the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus, and had worked as a hair stylist in addition to being a drag performer.
“He would have appointments lined up whenever he returned to Burlington because everyone wanted him to do their hair. He liked going to Casa Fiesta in Burlington with friends whenever he was in town,” Marsh’s obituary says. “He loved Sterzings and would buy many bags to be shipped to his home in California. He loved to travel. He adored his family, especially his mother. He referred to her as ‘the’ mother because she was everything to him.”
Marsh and Waterman knew one another and phone records showed they exchanged phone calls before the stabbing. Marsh was killed inside his Oakland apartment on Vernon Street. People in the area reported hearing a loud argument before the stabbing, which was followed by Marsh screaming for help.
Waterman received 799 days of credit for time served while he was in jail awaiting a resolution in his case. That will count toward the 11-year sentence, which can also be reduced by up to 15 percent with good behavior, court records show.