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Judge grants motion to reschedule Mac Marquette murder trial

The Morgan County District Attorney said his office will be preparing and trying other capital murder cases ahead of what was planned to be the Nov. 18 trial.

DECATUR, Ala. — The murder trial of Mac Marquette, the former Decatur police officer who shot and killed resident Steve Perkins in September 2023, faces another scheduling delay. Friday, Morgan County Circuit Court Judge Charles Elliott granted a motion for continuance filed by the Morgan County District Attorney's Office.

In the motion, also filed Friday, District Attorney Scott Anderson said there are other capital murder trials on the docket ahead of Marquette's that require his office's attention. 

He and Assistant District Attorney Garrick Vickery are due to prosecute a case against Frederic Rogers, the man accused of killing seven people in 2020. In the motion, Anderson says that "the trial could possible (sic) last four weeks."

"Mr. Vickery will be preparing and trying two of the more complex capital murder cases pending;" Anderson continued, "there will be insufficient time to adequately prepare for the trial of [Marquette's] case in November 2024.

The motion states that Marquette's attorneys have agreed to the rescheduling, saying the defense needs additional time to prepare as well.

A new trial date has not been announced; there is a status conference set to discuss and possibly firm up a new trial date on Sept. 23 - six days shy of the one-year anniversary of Perkins' death.

Background - click here for our full coverage

Mac Marquette and other officers responded to Steve Perkins' home the night of September 29 in response to a vehicle towing dispute. During that incident, tensions escalated and Marquette eventually fired his weapon at Perkins, who later died of his injuries. Marquette and several of the responding officers were fired in the weeks following the incident; they have all appealed the termination.

City leaders have since revised towing ordinances to require those towing vehicles to contact and update police regarding the status of scheduled repossessions. 

A third-party review of the policies, procedures, and working culture of the Decatur Police Department has been proposed.

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