Former officer Marquette faces murder charge in Perkins death

Jan. 6—The family of Steve Perkins said they will keep fighting until everyone involved in his Sept. 29 death is held accountable after the Morgan County district attorney announced Friday that a grand jury unanimously returned a murder indictment against former Decatur police officer Mac Bailey Marquette but declined to indict the other three officers at the scene.

"We want everybody involved to be held accountable," said Steve Perkins' brother, Nicholas Perkins. "Not just them, but the city officials here. The officers weren't the only ones who dropped the ball. So did the chief of police, and so did the mayor. This whole situation just was not handled right."

Before the 10 a.m. press conference at District Attorney Scott Anderson's office, supporters and friends of Steve Perkins began to gather at the Morgan County courthouse. Standing In Power co-founder Aneesah Saafiyah stood in front of the glass entryway expecting good news the day after what would have been Perkins' 40th birthday. According to court records, Marquette was arrested on Perkins' birthday.

"From the beginning, I've always said this movement is a spiritual one," she said. "Steve believed in God, he was a true Christian man, and so God doesn't play about him. God gave Steve a birthday present."

A small group of supporters waited anxiously in the hallway near Anderson's office on the fifth floor. Inside the office, a dozen reporters crowded around a mahogany desk and hurriedly set up their news cameras. Steve Perkins' wife, Catrela Perkins, stood behind the desk alongside Nick Perkins, ALEA Senior Trooper Brandon Bailey, and Anderson.

An older couple, Steve Perkins' in-laws, sat at a table on the right side of the room.

Anderson opened by saying a grand jury met this week to consider charges in the death of Perkins.

"Before I get into that, I want to extend my condolences to the Perkins family," he said. "They've suffered a great loss. They have endured a great deal of stress and anxiety over the loss of a husband, a father, a son and a brother, and they have done so with a great deal of class and dignity. And I think we, as a community, should be grateful to them."

Anderson acknowledged that the community as a whole has suffered from Perkins' death and commended Alabama Law Enforcement Agency — specifically lead investigator Special Agent Jamie King — for investigating the case so quickly. Perkins' case was the only thing King worked on for the past three months, according to Anderson.

Anderson then spoke generally of the grand jury's makeup, saying it consisted of eight men and 10 women. Fifteen were white and three were Black, and their ages ranged from 30-78. He said they came from all walks of life and were a good representation of Morgan County.

Before seeing any evidence or hearing any testimony, Anderson said he prayed with the grand jury to seek guidance from God in their task ahead.

"We asked him that the outcome of our proceedings would be in accordance with his will, and, folks, I have no doubt that he answered those prayers," he said.

Anderson said the grand jury heard evidence and testimony from no less than 15 witnesses. He noted that, although there were four officers on the scene, only one fired his weapon: Marquette.

"As a result of the facts and evidence presented in this case, the grand jury unanimously returned an indictment against Mac Bailey Marquette, charging him with the crime of murder," he said. "The grand jury agreed unanimously that there were no violations with regards to the laws of the state of Alabama against any other officer."

Anderson put a vocal emphasis on "the laws of the state of Alabama." Later, when asked if additional charges might be brought by federal, rather than state, investigators, Anderson said, from speaking with federal authorities, that he considers it a possibility. — 'Wasn't easy'

"While there may be some who disagree with the decisions of this grand jury, and the task that they have before them, I hope that they will at least respect that this group knows more about the facts and the evidence in this case — more so than anyone else — and they did what they knew was right under the circumstances.

"I have to say that this was not an easy thing to do. It wasn't easy for the grand jury, and it wasn't easy for me. No one wants to charge or indict an officer of the law."

Anderson said the job now falls to him to prosecute the case against Marquette. After Perkins' death, he said some of his peers encouraged him to recuse himself from the case, given his close working relationship with the Decatur Police Department. If he recused himself, the case would fall to the attorney general, whom Anderson said had no more or less conflict of interest than himself.

"When I ran for office, I assured the public that I wouldn't shy away from the tough cases, and I'm going to be true to my word," he said. "I'm not going to shy away from this case."

Regarding the much discussed and still publicly undisclosed police bodycam video from the night of Perkins' death, Anderson said he would allow the family to view it but would not publicly release it.

"If a jury has seen evidence outside the courtroom that is eventually going to come in the courtroom, then we have to make sure that they can set whatever they've heard or thought about that evidence aside, and some of them can't," he explained. "And so, if I released the bodycam footage, I would be contributing to that, and I'm not going to do that."

The four officers at the scene of Perkins' death were disciplined following an internal investigation by the Decatur Police Department in December. In addition to Marquette, Joey Williams, Vance Summers and Christopher Mukaddam were punished: three were fired and one was suspended without pay. The city has not specified which officer was suspended. All four have appealed their punishments and public appeal hearings will begin the week of Jan. 30.

According to ALEA, Steve Perkins had a flashlight mounted to a gun when he exited his house at 1:50 a.m. Sept. 29 and, according to Decatur police, he pointed it toward Marquette. Neighbors' security videos indicate police didn't announce their presence until about two seconds before Marquette began shooting.

Court records attached to Marquette's case lists Vance Summers, with the Priceville Police Department, as a witness, among others, including a Caleb Combs from Elkmont.

On Friday, Priceville police Chief Jerry Holmes said Summers does not work for the Priceville Police Department. He said his department is not currently hiring, and they haven't hired any of the Decatur officers disciplined in connection with Perkins.

Anderson said the criminal proceedings should not affect the personnel hearings.

According to court records, 23-year-old Hartselle resident Marquette was booked into the Morgan County Jail in lieu of a $30,000 bond on Thursday and released the same day after posting the bond. A note on the bond form by Circuit Judge Jennifer Howell said, "Aniah's Law applies, but State agrees to bond, set at $30,000." Aniah's Law authorizes defendants charged with various violent crimes to be held without bond if they meet a variety of factors. Court records indicate the case was assigned to Circuit Judge Charles Elliott.

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Reaction

"I'm satisfied that they indicted (Marquette) on murder, but the bond, $30,000, is ridiculous," Catrela Perkins said after the press conference. She hopes that additional, federal charges will come for the other officers at the scene.

Catrela Perkins' father, Billy Kennedy, said Catrela and his grandchildren have been staying with him and his wife since Perkins was killed.

"My grandkids are tore up," he said. "My daughter of mine is messed up. They've been run from their homes, and they've been in the house with my wife and I ever since that night. And it's unfair."

Kennedy said that neighbors' security video from the night Perkins was killed showed the incident was orchestrated by more than one person.

"Any time a sergeant is there, he is more like the supervisor, so he is over this whole thing," Kennedy said, referring to Summers. "So how can he get off scot-free?"

Nick Perkins remained behind Anderson's desk after the conference and patiently responded as reporters took their turn with him. He rubbed his hands together nervously and clenched his jaw. The stress of the past three months was visible on his face.

In stark juxtaposition was his crisp blue suit and orange tie. His wife, Angela Perkins, stood next to him for support.

"I feel like we finally had a chance to breathe, just a little bit, to get that full inhale/exhale with this first step with the arrest of Officer Marquette," he said. "So, it's giving us a little sense of justice. We still have a long way to go, but we're looking at the bigger picture."

Nick Perkins said the bigger picture involves accountability for others who he said are implicated in his brothers' death and/or the poor city response afterward, including by Mayor Tab Bowling and police Chief Todd Pinion.

"The Perkins family will fight, will keep moving forward, will keep protesting, will keep yelling, will keep doing whatever we have to do until we get big-picture justice for Steve," he said.

Nick Perkins said his faith and community support have kept him going these last few months.

"My wife has been a great support system," he said. "This is not the easiest situation to endure, but with the hearings coming up, we will be present just to show a unified front for our family and the community. Those officers don't deserve to be officers again."

A few hours after the press conference, Standing In Power released a statement: "The shadows of injustice loom large over this incident, and we refuse to accept the mere tokenism of charging one officer."

Standing in Power co-founder Adrianna Tapscott said Marquette's indictment is the start of many victories and noted that developments in the criminal case have proceeded relatively quickly compared to some other police brutality cases.

"I must admit that I do feel as if the other officers who also didn't stop this tragedy from taking place are also at fault," she said. "I encourage the community to stick together as one and continue to fight for what's right."

Briona Watkins, an early organizer of Perkins demonstrations, said she was pleased with the murder charge.

"I am disappointed that the other officers were not charged, but charging the one who caused the heartache and pain to this family and community by murdering Steve is a huge milestone," she said.

"We never lost faith. We believed that our hard work and dedication to Steve and his family was not in vain, and today it was proven."

— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438. @DD_DavidGambino