Marquette's murder trial delayed

David Gambino, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
·1 min read

Jun. 17—The jury trial against former Decatur police officer Mac Marquette, charged with murder in the September shooting death of Steve Perkins, was pushed back from its original Nov. 18 start date after a Morgan County circuit judge on Friday granted the State's motion for a continuance.

In the motion, District Attorney Scott Anderson explained that he and Assistant DA Garrick Vickery — both prosecuting Marquette's case — will be prosecuting "two of the more complex capital murder cases" pending in the county in August and October.

Frederic Rogers, accused of killing seven people in Valhermoso Springs in 2020 along with alleged accomplice John Legg, is set to stand trial on Aug. 14. The State is seeking the death penalty for Rogers.

Logan Delp, the accused shooter in a 2020 murder-for-hire plot, is scheduled to stand trial Oct. 16. Court records show Delp's alleged accomplices — Jaclyn Skuce, Angela Stolz, Aaron Howard and LaJuhn Smart — are also set to stand trial on capital murder charges in October.

Anderson said the pending cases leave insufficient time to prepare for a November trial in Marquette's case. Marquette's attorneys also said they needed more time to prepare, according to the motion.

Circuit Judge Charles Elliott did not set a new trial date, but scheduled Marquette's case for a status conference on Sept. 23.

— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.