BELTON, Texas — The Cedric Marks trial has been filled with ups and downs, and this is only the first week.
Marks is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Jenna Scott and her friend Michael Swearingin, who were both reported missing from Temple on Jan. 4, 2019. Their bodies were found days later in Oklahoma.
Austin Police Crime Scene Supervisor John Prada processed Swearingin’s car for DNA. He said there were fingerprints found on candy wrappers and parts of the inside of the car.
After testing this evidence on local, state and federal automated systems, nothing was detected. There were also no keys found inside the car.
Hyundai Field Service Engineer John Ray Morrison examined the GPS of Swearingin’s car. The car was at two locations, one in Temple and one in Killeen, on Jan. 3 2019. No locations were detected after that day.
One major point prosecutors want to make clear was how the floor mat on the driver side of the car was missing but the rest of the car had floor mats.
Another major witness in this case is a member of First Baptist Church in Temple, located on W. Adams Avenue.
The witness says she saw Marks for “a split second” parked inside of a white car in the church parking lot.
Marks argued she didn't have enough time to determine whether it was him or not so her claim isn't substantial. However, the witness stood firm on her belief it was Marks inside of the car on the driver's side.
The white car was parked in the church parking lot for nearly two hours. It was also adjacent to Swearingin’s home, but there’s no indication in the surveillance video played in court who was driving or what model the car was.
Week two of trial continues Mon. April 24 at 9 a.m. at the Bell County Annex.