BELL COUNTY, Texas — Cedric Marks, the man accused of murdering two Temple friends whose bodies were found in Oklahoma in January, appeared in court Thursday afternoon for a pretrial hearing. However, his attorneys said they couldn't move forward with the hearing because they have to review new evidence in the capital murder case.
Alex Calhoun from the Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases office in Austin was appointed Thursday to represent Marks. Calhoun and Marks' other attorney, Michael White, said they received new evidence Wednesday night and expect to get more in the next three weeks.
The judge agreed to move the pretrial hearing to August 29.
Last time he appeared in court in May, he said he was "absolutely not guilty" of tampering of evidence, burglary and capital murder charges. Bell County District Attorney Henry Garza said his office is still deciding whether or not it will seek the death penalty against Marks.
Jenna Scott, who was Marks' ex-girlfriend, and Michael 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 initially arrested in Michigan, and 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. He was arrested and booked into Bell County Jail on Feb. 3.
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.
In a letter he sent to KCEN Channel 6, Marks said Maxwell was pregnant with his child. According to court documents, Marks is confirmed to be the father. Wade Faulkner, Maxwell's attorney, said the custody case is currently in Child Protective Services Court and Maxwell is fighting to keep her baby.
The baby was placed in foster care, the documents said.
An earlier version of this story, both online and on the air, said Maya Maxwell gave up custody of her child. That has been corrected
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