DA still waiting for Crime Lab results for capital murder case
Published 9:27 pm Tuesday, January 21, 2020
- Photo by Donna Campbell Marquis Flowers had an appearance in Lincoln County Circuit Court Tuesday.
Prosecutors in the capital murder case of a man accused of ambushing two Brookhaven police officers continue to ask the State Crime Lab to hurry up with ballistics reports.
Marquis Flowers, 27, was indicted Oct. 28 on two counts of capital murder in the 2018 deaths of Cpl. Zach Moak, 31, and patrol officer James White, 35, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Flowers, through his attorney, pleaded not guilty to all three counts.
District Attorney Dee Bates and Assistant District Attorney Brendon Adams updated Judge Michael Taylor during the second status hearing for Flowers, which took place Tuesday in the Lincoln County Circuit Court.
Adams said the DA’s office has turned over discovery to Flowers’ attorneys, Kelsey Rushing and M.A. Bass. Those include a phone dump of a cell phone, numerous canvass sheets and DNA reports. Prosecutors are waiting for ballistics reports at the Crime Lab.
Adams told Taylor they have requested the Crime Lab “put a rush” on reports.
“Numerous times,” Bates added.
Bates and Adams met briefly with Flowers’ attorneys, Kelsey Rushing and M.A. Bass outside of the courtroom to discuss upcoming discovery that each plans to share.
Taylor met with all four attorneys in his chambers to discuss future hearing dates. The judge planned to schedule status hearings for Flowers each month, as needed. He set the next hearing for April 1 at 1:30 p.m. in the Lincoln County courtroom.
Bates intends to seek the death penalty In Flowers’ case.