Repo Shooting Death Trial Delayed By Immunity Review
A Morgan County, Alabama judge has put the murder trial of a former Decatur police officer on hold while the Alabama Supreme Court considers whether he may be entitled to immunity in connection with a fatal shooting during a vehicle repossession.
On Monday, Morgan County Judge Charles Elliott granted a renewed request from attorneys for Mac Marquette to continue the case pending a decision from the state’s highest court.
Marquette is accused of shooting Perkins during a failed vehicle repossession in September 2023. His trial was initially scheduled for November 2024, but multiple delays have pushed the case through several stages of the legal process. The trial had most recently been scheduled to begin September 21.
According to Elliott’s order, he previously rejected Marquette’s request to move the trial date when it was filed August 3. Marquette’s attorneys filed a renewed motion to continue the case on August 11, citing the pending action before the Alabama Supreme Court.
The judge granted that request, writing that the Supreme Court had not yet issued a final ruling on Marquette’s Petition for Writ of Mandamus, filed August 26, 2025.
Rather than establish another trial date, Elliott ordered that future hearings be scheduled after the Supreme Court reaches a decision.
The immunity question has been a significant issue in the case. Elliott previously denied Marquette’s request for immunity, finding that the former officer had not presented sufficient evidence to establish that he acted as a reasonable police officer or that the shooting was justified as self-defense.
Marquette’s effort to have that decision reviewed by the Alabama Supreme Court now leaves the murder prosecution in limbo until the court determines whether his immunity claim has merit.
For the repossession industry, the case continues to draw attention because the shooting occurred in the course of an attempted vehicle recovery—an incident that highlights the potential risks repossession agents can encounter when a recovery unexpectedly escalates.
