Boyd murder conviction upheld by state Court of Appeals

The capital murder conviction of Marlon Boyd was upheld by the state Court of Appeals on Thursday.

"Because we find that Boyd’s challenges to the sufficiency and the weight of the
evidence fail, we affirm Boyd’s conviction and sentence," the court concluded.

Boyd of Philadelphia was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole following his capital murder conviction in Circuit Court in July 2022,

Boyd, 20, at the time, was found guilty in the March 20, 2021, slaying death of 27-year-old Desmond Davis of Philadelphia in an early-morning robbery at the Western Motel on Holland Avenue.

Boyd was taken into custody on the evening of April 3 by the Meridian Police Department after being on the run for days. Boyd was arrested after a tip informed MPD that he was hiding out at a house in Meridian. Boyd was extradited to Philadelphia that same evening.

Boyd was charged along with two others, Brandon Goodin of Philadelphia and Shianne White of Union. All were originally charged with capital murder. However, Goodin and White pleaded guilty to lesser charges and gave testimony against Boyd during his trial.

Goodin pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. White pleaded guilty to accessory to murder after the fact and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.