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NORRISTOWN — A man accused of a role in the gunshot slaying of a Lower Providence man on the Schuylkill River Trail in West Norriton informed a judge that he has retained a new lawyer and he received a new trial date.
Marquise Alexander Johnson, 23, of the 500 block of East Johnson Street, Philadelphia, during a brief hearing in Montgomery County Court on Friday, told Judge William R. Carpenter he has retained the services of defense lawyer Dennis Caglia.
Caglia formally entered his appearance on behalf of Johnson and explained that he needed more time to review the case and prepare for trial, which originally had been set to get underway on Dec. 18. Caglia’s request for a continuance was granted by Carpenter, who set a new trial date of Feb. 26, 2024.
Last week, Johnson cut ties with his former lawyer Michael Walker and at that time Carpenter gave Johnson a week to inform court officials about his ability to hire a new lawyer. Otherwise, Carpenter was prepared to court appoint a lawyer to represent Johnson.
Johnson is charged with Cody Kavon Reed, 23, of the 300 block of West Marshall Street, Norristown, with first-, second-, and third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery, persons not to possess a firearm, firearms not to be carried without a license, flight to avoid apprehension and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the alleged March 2, 2023, slaying of Daquan Kennard Tucker, 25, of Rogers Road in Lower Providence, during an apparent robbery.
Reed’s lawyer, Brendan Michael Campbell, also was in the courtroom on Friday and agreed to the new Feb. 26 trial date.
Assistant District Attorney Kathleen McLaughlin and co-prosecutor Caitlin O’Malley did not oppose the continuance.
Reed and Johnson previously pleaded not guilty to the charges during their formal arraignment hearings.
Reed and Johnson, who authorities said fled from the area and remained on the lam until April 6 when they were apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service in Atlantic City, will remain in the county jail without bail pending trial.
A conviction of first- or second-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. A conviction of third-degree murder carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.
The investigation began at about 9:03 a.m. March 3, 2023, when a citizen riding his bicycle along the Schuylkill River Trail on the border of Norristown and West Norriton called 911 to report seeing a body in a wooded area between the trail and the Schuylkill River, according to the criminal complaint filed by county Detective John Wittenberger and West Norriton Detective Mark Wassmer.
Arriving officers found a man, later determined to be Tucker, “lying in the wooded area down a steep embankment, approximately 100 feet from the trail,” with apparent gunshot wounds. Detectives recovered two .40-caliber fired cartridge casings in close proximity to the victim, court documents indicate.
With the use of a fingerprint scanner, detectives positively identified the victim as Tucker.
An autopsy determined Tucker died of multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death was ruled to be homicide. The autopsy identified two gunshot wounds to Tucker’s head and one gunshot wound to his neck, Wittenberger and Wassmer wrote in the arrest affidavit, adding one projectile was recovered from Tucker’s body.
Court papers indicate that a female friend of Tucker’s phoned a brother of Tucker in the early morning hours of March 3 out of concern that Tucker never arrived at the residence they shared as planned by 11 p.m. March 2 and that he was missing. The woman said a man named “Cody” sent an Uber to their residence for Tucker earlier and Tucker left in the Uber and hadn’t been seen since then, according to court documents.
Witnesses said when they checked Tucker’s location on the “Find My iPhone” feature it indicated his location was on the Schuylkill River Trail near Norristown between 8:57 p.m. and 9 p.m. March 2 in the exact location where his body eventually was found, according to court papers. A check of Tucker’s cellphone location at 10:06 p.m. on March 2 indicated it was in the area of the 1000 block of West Airy Street, authorities said.
Detectives obtained video surveillance footage that showed Tucker arriving at Reed’s residence a little after 7 p.m. March 2. Surveillance footage at 8:39 p.m. showed Reed, Tucker and Johnson, all of whom knew each other, walking toward the Schuylkill River Trail, according to court papers.
“The three then walked to a secluded area of the Schuylkill River Trail in West Norriton Township where Tucker was shot numerous times and killed and his property removed from him,” Wittenberger and Wassmer alleged in the arrest affidavit.
Video surveillance captured Reed and Johnson walking along West Airy Street at 10:06 p.m., the same place and time that witnesses previously told detectives the “Find My iPhone” feature located Tucker’s phone. Investigators alleged Reed and Johnson were in possession of Tucker’s cell phone after he had been shot and killed.
At 10:21 p.m., video surveillance depicted Reed and Johnson returning to Reed’s apartment on West Marshall Street, according to the arrest affidavit.
During the investigation, a close friend of Tucker, who described his relationship with Tucker as being like “brothers,” told detectives he believed Reed may have killed Tucker in retaliation for that friend robbing Reed of cash several months earlier, according to court documents.
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