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Accused double-murderer Cedric Marks makes court appearance

Cedric Marks, who is accused of murdering a pair of Temple friends, had a Bell County court appearance Thursday.

TEMPLE, Texas — Editor's note: The attached video is from an earlier article when Marks pleaded not guilty to tampering with evidence, burglary and capital murder.

Accused double-murderer Cedric Marks made an appearance at a Bell County court Thursday, but only spoke publicly once to confirm his identity to the judge. 

Marks faces charges of tampering with evidence, burglary and capital murder related to the deaths of his ex-girlfriend Jenna Scott and her friend Michael Swearingin. 

Marks said he was "absolutely not guilty" of any of the charges during a court appearance in May.

According to the office of Bell County District Attorney Henry Garza, prosecutors will be pushing for the death penalty in Marks' trial. 

Multiple motions passed Thursday, including the defense's request that Marks not be shackled in public and wear street clothes during the jury selection and actual trial.

Scott and Swearingin went missing on Jan. 4, 2019, according to their families and police. Police said their bodies were found in a rural Oklahoma town on Jan. 15.

According to a medical examiner, an autopsy showed that Scott died from homicidal violence, and Swearingin died from "strangulation."

Marks was arrested in Michigan soon after. During his extradition to Bell County, he escaped from a private prison transport company then led police on a 9-hour manhunt in Montgomery County before he was found hiding in a trash can and booked into Bell County Jail.

The woman who is believed to have helped Marks in the deaths of Scott and Swearingin, Maya Maxwell, gave birth to a boy behind bars on June 4.

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