20-year-old Kansas City woman sentenced to prison for 12 shoplifting incidents

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) – On Thursday, a Kansas City woman pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated robbery and 11 counts of grand larceny following a series of shoplifting incidents in 2023.

According to court documents, 20-year-old Asia Marshall was involved in 12 separate thefts in 2023. Often working with accomplices, she would fill shopping bags with merchandise and then leave the stores, taking more than $750 worth of merchandise each time.

Eleven of these incidents were non-violent and resulted in a Class D felony theft charge. However, one incident involved an assault on a Bath and Body Works employee, so the charge for that theft was upgraded to a Class B felony aggravated robbery.

Count I: Robbery

According to a statement from the Kansas City Police Department, on December 21, 2023, Marshall and several other suspects were at Bath and Body Works filling shopping bags with merchandise they intended to steal. When an employee picked up one of their unattended bags, the suspects began yelling at her and threatening to assault her.

The argument escalated when one of the suspects allegedly tried to snatch the bag containing the goods from the employee. The suspect then punched the employee in the face, grabbed her by the hair and pushed her against a display.

According to KCPD, the suspects then left the store with over $1,500 worth of stolen merchandise and damaged another $1,500 worth of merchandise on their way out.

A loss prevention manager at Bath and Body Works reported that items stolen that day included 47 three-wick candles (valued at over $1,200).

The employee who was attacked later told police she was unaware the suspects were in the process of stealing anything. She said it was not unusual for customers to leave bags of merchandise behind, and she picked up the bag to return the items where they belonged.

On January 5, 2024, KCPD officers arrived at a home in Jackson County with an arrest warrant for Marshall. When they entered, they allegedly found Marshall hiding under a blanket and said she claimed to be 13 years old. She was taken into custody.

Full fees

On March 28, 2024, Marshall was charged with the following counts and sentenced to $20,000 bail and a restraining order against him from having contact with Ulta, Sephora, PINK, Bath and Body Works, or the victim of the Bath and Body Works robbery:

Marshall initially pleaded not guilty, but on August 15, 2024, she recanted and pleaded guilty to all counts in Platte County District Court. She was sentenced to seven years in Missouri State Prison, with all counts to run concurrently.

Since her imprisonment took place in early 2024, she will be credited for the time she has served up to that point.

It is unclear whether the other suspects involved in the thefts have been identified or charged.

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