Bell County District Judge Steve Duskie has approved Capital Murder suspect Cedric Marks’ request to represent himself at trial.

Marks is accused of killing Jenna Scott and Michael Swearingin in 2019.

According to court documents, the 426th Judicial District Court Judge signed the motion on Monday, Aug. 23rd to discharge Marks’ counsel. Judge Duskie ordered the Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases to hand over the defense file to Marks.

Investigators found the bodies of Scott and Swearingin buried in Oklahoma more than three years ago.

Police arrested Marks in Michigan three days after finding Swearingin’s car abandoned in Austin. A week later, Marks was to be extradited to Bell County.

In February of 2019, Marks escaped custody in Conroe and was found after a nine-hour manhunt.

The next day he woke up in the Bell County Jail with formal capital murder charges, and had his bond set at $1.7 million.

A grand jury indicted Cedric Marks. Court documents claim Marks knowingly caused the death of Swearingin by strangulation and Scott by homicidal violence at a Killeen home on January 3, 2019.

Marks pleaded not guilty to all charges, including burglary and capital murder, the following month.

If found guilty, Marks faces life in prison or the death penalty.