If you don’t know the name Cedric Marks, don’t be surprised. This MMA fighter is now 44 years old but has an above average record sheet in his discipline. 31 victories against 27 defeats. The former middleweight participated in just one fight in one of the largest MMA promotions in the world, Bellator, and he lost. He has mainly scoured small American organisations like the XFC and has had a rather mixed success. But he is currently in the news for something completely unrelated to MMA.
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A double homicide
Cedric Marks was arrested in Texas a few weeks ago after the disappearance of his former girlfriend Jenna Scott and someone close to the young woman, a certain Michael Swearingin. The American woman, who has a nine-year-old daughter, was 28 years old when she disappeared. After 11 days of searching, her body and that of her friend were found in a shallow grave in Oklahoma.
A few months earlier, Jenna Scott had asked for a restraining order against Marks for domestic violence. Her testimony to the police at the time was chilling.
‘He strangled me twice. Every time he allowed me to regain consciousness, then he still choked me.’
An escape attempt
Charged with this double homicide, but also multiple counts of breaking and entering and false testimonies, Cedric Marks made the most of his transfer to Texas to escape from the private jail transport vehicle when it was stopped near a McDonald’s. He hid in a bin and managed to evade the police for more than 9 hours.
The former fighter was officially charged in Temple county, Texas, and is facing the death penalty.
