DECATUR, Ala. — Mac Bailey Marquette, a former Decatur Police officer, entered a not-guilty plea on Wednesday for the murder charge in the shooting death of Stephen Perkins, court documents revealed. Marquette waived his arrangement hearing and was set to appear in court on March 4.
The Morgan County District Attorney’s Office charged Marquette with murder in early January following the release of the investigative file by ALEA. Sheriff Ron Puckett of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office took Marquette into custody as he turned himself in at the Morgan County Jail on Thursday evening. Marquette was booked on a Grand Jury warrant for murder with a bond set at $30,000, but he has since bonded out.
Marquette’s personnel file, obtained by News 19, revealed that he applied for a police officer position with the Decatur Police Department and was given a conditional hiring offer. He was certified by the Police Officers Standards and Training Commission in April 2021.
The shooting of Perkins took place in the early morning hours of Sept. 29th, after an incident related to a vehicle repossession. Perkins was killed by police in that incident.
The details of the case and Marquette’s plea have sparked widespread interest and concerns within the community, raising questions about police conduct and the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
As the legal proceedings continue, the community awaits further developments in the case and potential implications for the future of law enforcement in the area.