MMA veteran accused of murders escapes prison van
After a nine hour manhunt Cedric Marks is back in police custody.
Cedric Marks, 44, an MMA fighter with a pro career that spans two decades, escaped a prison transport vehicle today in Conroe, TX (north of Houston). Marks had just been extradited from Michigan to Texas to face a burglary charge. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department (via the Temple Daily Telegraph), Marks is also facing “three pending murder charges.”
Details of Marks escape from custody come via The Washington Post. That outlet stated that Marks was able to flee from a prison transfer van when the vehicle stopped at a McDonald’s Restaurant on Sunday morning.
Marks is reported to have “sprang from the van,” though it is unclear how exactly he was able to do this. The van held 10 prisoners and two armed guards and Marks was in restraints. At a press conference authorities said they found the orange prison jumpsuit Marks was wearing in the vicinity.
While the manhunt was underway, Marks was labeled “extremely dangerous” by authorities.
UPDATE: After an exhausting 9 hour manhunt involving multiple Montgomery County, State and Federal Law Enforcement...
Posted by Montgomery County Sheriff's Office on Sunday, February 3, 2019
Nine hours after Marks escape the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office declared that they had captured Marks after an “exhausting” manhunt.
While Marks was on the lam, police in Temple, TX issued warrants for his arrest in connection to the deaths of Jenna Scott, 28, and Michael Swearingin 32 (per ABC News). Scott and Swearingin were reported missing on January 9th. Their bodies were discovered in shallow graves in Clearview, OK on January 15th.
Scott was Marks’ ex-girlfriend. The burglary charge Marks faces is connected to a break-in at Scott’s Temple apartment in August 2018. Marks was arrested in Michigan on the burglary charge days before Scott and Swearingin’s remains were discovered. Before she disappeared Scott was denied a protective order against Scott. When filing for this order Scott accused Marks of domestic abuse and called him a “psychopath.” Scott also alleged that Marks confessed to her that he had covered up murders in the past.
Arrested with Marks in Michigan was Maya Renee Maxwell, 26, who is reportedly Marks’ girlfriend. Maxwell faces charges of tampering with evidence after she admitted to moving Swearingin’s vehicle in order to hide it from law enforcement.
Ginell McDonough, 37, Marks’ wife, and mother to two of his children, was also arrested in Michigan. McDonough was charged with harboring Marks and Maxwell.
In addition to being suspected of murdering Scott and Swearingin, Marks is also a ‘person of interest’ in the disappearance of April Pease (according to police in Bloomington, MN). Pease is mother to another of Marks’ children. They waged a contentious custody battle over that child in 2008, which resulted in Pease gaining full custody.
Peace went missing in 2009. Marks then received custody of their child. According to the Temple Daily Telegram, the child was then placed in protective custody.