Girlfriend of convicted killer Cedric Marks enters guilty plea, receives sentence
BELTON, Texas (FOX 44/KWKT) -- The partner of convicted killer Cedric Marks officially pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon to her part in the deaths of Jenna Scott and Michael Swearingin in 2019.
The judge sentenced Maya Maxwell to 20 years in prison for tampering with a corpse.
The hearing for Maya Maxwell was originally set for July, but it was reset for Aug. 1. According to Maxwell's defense attorney Kyle Watkins, "the basis of their motion was that Mr. Garza was not in town and he wanted to be here."
Prosecutors say Maxwell is an accomplice to Cedric Marks in the murders of Jenna Scott and Michael Swearingin. A jury found him guilty of capital murder in June and sentenced him to death. Now, Marks is asking for a new trial.
"Maya Maxwell has an agreement with the state to plead guilty to tampering two counts of tampering with a corpse, which is punishable by 2 to 20 years in exchange for the dismissal of the capital murder charge, and we were set for a plea today," Watkins said.
Maxwell's attorney is hoping there will be no further delay with the plea deal as she has already served over four years in jail, making her eligible to be considered for parole.
"Once she finally gets into her guilty plea, she will then be in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the prison system. And they have 180 days to interview her for parole. So that 180-day clock does not start until she enters or guilty plea," Watkins said.