MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Accused cop killer Marco Antonio Perez pleaded guilty Monday morning to stabbing a fellow inmate while he was awaiting trial on capital murder charges.
Perez, 22, used a homemade knife, or “shank” to stab the inmate, according to a summary provide by prosecutors.
Perez still faces a capital murder charge in the 2019 shooting death of Officer Sean Tuder. That tentatively is scheduled for August.
Perez had been scheduled to go on trial Monday for the jailhouse stabbing. Instead, he worked out a plea bargain that included pleading guilty to second-degree assault and promoting prison contraband. Mobile County Circuit Judge Ben Brooks accepted the recommended punishment, sentencing Perez to two years in prison, to be served at the same time he serves time for federal offenses. He also will get credit for the time he has been jailed on the murder charge.
The assault took place on Feb. 13, 2020. According to prosecutors, fellow inmate Edward George Hubbard suffered cuts to the forehead and other injuries.
Perez already has been sentenced to 25 years in prison on federal convictions arising from the shooting of Tuder, who was in plain clothes when he tried to arrest Perez in January 2019 at the Peach Place apartments.
In court Monday, defense attorney Jason Darley told the judge that the defense and prosecutors have had “preliminary settlement discussions” about the murder charge but that, “as of now, we’re still on track” for an August trial date.
Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich told the judge that she wanted to make sure Perez understood that his guilty plea on Monday could come up in the capital case. If a jury were convict him of capital murder, the defendant’s post-arrest conduct – including the jail stabbing – could be used during the penalty phase.
“He’s on notice,” Brooks said.
Neither side commented after the hearing, citing a “gag order” issued by the judge.
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