BELL COUNTY, Texas — The man facing a murder charge for the shooting death of a Killeen police detective is seeking new counsel once again, nine years after the crime occurred.
Marvin Guy was charged with capital murder in 2014. After multiple trial delays, his day in court continues to be pushed back.
On May 9, 2014, Guy was accused of shooting Killeen detective Chuck Dinwiddie when police conducted a "No-Knock" raid at his home.
During his nine years in the county jail, Guy has been represented by 11 different attorneys. In a hearing on April 12, 2023, a judge granted a motion from yet another defense team to withdraw as Guy's counsel.
Dinwiddie's family has gone through tragedy and heartbreak, waiting years to see this trial go to court.
"We were three weeks away from our trial date for the first time in nine years. Nine years," Kathryn Dinwiddie, Chuck Dinwiddie's sister, said. "So, the Dinwiddie family is furious."
Nine years of waiting for their late family member to find justice, and the delay continues.
After being charged with capital murder, Guy has continued to get rid of his legal team right before the start of trial.
"If parties on either side are using the ability to file motions or ask for rests to kind of drag it out and delay then that's something a judge would surely catch on to," Liz Mitchell, 6 News legal expert said.
The withdrawal of the new legal counsel marks the fourth time Guy's trial has been reset -- and his fourth legal team, dragging out an already extensive case.
"The longer they wait, the more difficult this case becomes to try for the state," Mitchell said. "Evidence can sometimes get lost. Witnesses move, they relocate. Those all become challenges that become more and more insurmountable for the state."
So, why has this gone on for nine years?
"There's a balance between protecting the defendant's rights and also making sure that you are really managing your docket that is cost effective for the county," Mitchell said. "These are dollars that are being paid by tax payers of the county to keep this person in jail, every meal being given to this person."
According to the Bell County Sheriff's Department, it costs $90 a day to house an inmate. Multiply that by 365 days a year, by 9 years, and the county has spent almost $300,000 to house Marvin Guy.
"It has to reach a point where enough is enough. If this isn't the oldest case, I would be surprised," Mitchell said. "And, I would think the judge would be doing everything in his power to get this case resolved, one way or another."
The future of this trial ultimately lies in the hands of the judge. The Dinwiddie family is done waiting.
"We just want to see that the Texas court system serves justice because we have not had justice provided to this public servant who was serving this community," Kathryn Dinwiddie said. "Our brother, Charles David Dinwiddie, was a beloved public servant and deserves justice. His wife, his children, his father, my now deceased mother deserves justice. His siblings deserve justice, and his community deserves justice."
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