Anthony Marks
A man who was driving a stolen vehicle during a 2012 drive-by shooting on Route 29 that killed a city man had murder charges against him dismissed Friday when pleaded guilty to a pair of lesser counts.
Anthony Marks, 27, was charged with murder along with William Mitchell and Andre Romero in the slaying of 23-year-old Daquan Dowling, who was killed instantly after he was struck in the head by a bullet fired by alleged shooters Mitchell and Romero.
Under terms of a plea deal with prosecutors, Marks is expected to be sentenced to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to two lesser counts of handgun possession. His sentence for firearm possession would run concurrently with time Marks is currently serving in an unrelated drug case.
Marks must serve at least six years in prison on the handgun charges before he is eligible for parole, according to terms of the deal put on the record by Assistant Prosecutor James Scott.
Scott did not say during the proceeding whether Marks is required to testify against his codefendants as part of the plea deal.
Marks agreed to the terms in pleading guilty before Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier.
Marks did not admit to firing a shot Jan. 30, 2012, when gunfire erupted near the Statehouse resulting in the closure of Route 29 for several hours. But he admitted a .45-caliber handgun and a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, which he said were supplied by a fourth man, Jamar Square, were in the car he was driving and that he had access to them on the night in question.
Neither Marks’ attorney, Andrew Ferencevych, nor the prosecutor, Scott, asked questions about Dowling’s murder during the plea.
Mitchell and Romero are expected to be tried for Dowling’s murder, Ferencevych said. It was not immediately clear if a trial date has been set. Marks’ sentencing is set for Oct. 29.