Prosecutors seek death penalty against MMA fighter

Prosecutors in Central Texas plan to seek the death penalty for a professional MMA fighter accused in the deaths of two people whose bodies were found in a shallow grave in Oklahoma, CBS Dallas/Fort Worth reports. The Bell County District Attorney’s Office has filed formal notice to seek the death penalty against Cedric Marks, 45, District Attorney Henry Garza said Monday.

Marks was indicted for the murders of Jenna Scott, 28, and Michael Swearingin, 32, two friends who were killed Jan. 3 at a home in Killeen about 127 miles southwest of Dallas, according to investigators.

Their bodies were found about a week later in a shallow grave in Clearview, Oklahoma, about 80 miles east of Oklahoma City.

Marks, Scott’s ex-boyfriend, has pleaded not guilty. Michael White, one of Marks’ attorneys, told the Killeen Daily Herald that Marks “was not surprised” that prosecutors will seek the death penalty and “is anticipating his day in court when his story is told.”

His current girlfriend, Maya Maxwell, also faces charges in the case. Maxwell has told authorities she was at the Texas residence when the victims were killed and when their bodies were buried in Oklahoma, according to an affidavit filed in the case.

Authorities captured Cedric Joseph Marks about nine hours after he escaped from a prisoner transport van earlier Sun., Feb. 3, 2019. KHOU-TV

In February, Marks prompted a manhunt in Texas when he escaped from a private prisoner transportation van following his arrest in Michigan. He was being transported from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Bell County in Texas, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

He was recaptured nine hours later.

Marks was once a professional fighter with the MMA who went by the nickname “Spiderman.” His most recent fight was in September 2018, according to the MMA site Tapology. He also worked as a trainer at a gym in Killeen, Texas, several years ago.