Marion teen facing two decades in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter
Marquis D. Adams, 19, Marion, pleaded guilty to a lesser included offense of voluntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony, and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, in the shooting death of Jamear Douglas, 17, Marion, when he appeared before Judge Matthew P. Frericks on Monday in Marion County Common Pleas Court. A 3-year firearms specification was added to the voluntary manslaughter charge.
Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan said the tampering with evidence charge was added due to the fact that Adams disposed of the firearm that he used to shoot and kill Douglas. The firearm was never recovered and Adams has not revealed its location to authorities, Grogan noted.
“This admission of guilt is a crucial step in delivering justice to Jamear’s family and our community,” said Grogan, who has recommended a prison sentence of 17 to 22-1/2 years for Adams. “The persistence of Marion Police and my prosecutors has been invaluable in holding Mr. Adams accountable for his evil actions. We recommended the prison term after a lot of consultation with the family and after looking at all of the circumstances surrounding the case.”
Initially charged with three counts of murder
Adams was originally charged with three counts of murder, all unspecified felonies, and two counts of felonious assault, second-degree felonies, for allegedly shooting and killing Douglas during an altercation that occurred in the early morning hours on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022, outside a residence in the 500 block of Adams Street. Each charge carried with it a three-year firearms specification under terms of the indictment, which was issued by the Marion County grand jury on Nov. 16, 2022.
Major Chris Adkins of the Marion Police Department testified during a preliminary hearing held Feb. 3, 2023, that the autopsy report revealed that Douglas had been shot six times.
'A simple moment of anger can have a lifetime of consequences'
"A simple moment of anger can have a lifetime of consequences," Grogan said. "Jamear's life is over. Marquis' life is ruined. And for what? A fight about rap lyrics? And what is a (then) 18-year-old kid doing riding around in a car with a gun in a bag in the city of Marion? It's senseless and permanent. The message that I hope that we send is that we have to curb this trend of young people in our community picking up a gun to solve their problems."
Dora Evans, whom Grogan described as a "grandmother-like figure" to Douglas and with whom the teenager was living at the time of the fatal shooting in August 2022, said she hopes to see an end to gun violence among young people in Marion County.
“Marquis Adams took my grandson from this world. Jamear was a light to all those who knew him," Evans said. "I agree with the prosecutor. This plea is the first step towards justice. We need to stop gun violence among our young people. We also need to stop the back-and-forth nonsense that our young people engage in on social media these days.”
The Marion County Common Pleas Court's Probation Department is conducting a pre-sentence investigation, which will be submitted to Judge Frericks.
Adams remains in custody at the Multi-County Correctional Center in Marion. Following the sentencing hearing, he will be remanded to the custody of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections and sent to the Correctional Reception Center in Orient prior to being transferred to a state prison to serve his sentence.
Email: ecarter@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marquis Adams pleads guilty to 2022 killing to Jamear Douglas
