The capital murder trial of Marco Antonio Perez, 24, of Theodore, is scheduled to begin this week in Mobile County.
Perez is charged in the 2019 death of Mobile Police Officer Sean Tuder.
Tuder was shot and killed on Jan. 20, 2019, while serving an arrest warrant. The shooting occurred at an apartment complex off Leroy Steven Road at 3 p.m.
According to police, Perez had federal warrants and had previously faked his abduction to avoid prosecution.
In 2021, jurors acquitted Perez on federal charges of obstructing justice by killing a witness and firing a gun during a violent crime. Attorneys argued Tuder did not identify himself as an officer, and Perez protected himself under Alabama's "Stand Your Ground" law when he identified what he believed to be a threat.
However, he was convicted on federal charges of possessing a stolen firearm and receiving a gun while under indictment and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Perez was denied immunity for the state charges under Alabama's "Stand Your Ground" law. He faces the death penalty.
According to Tuder's obituary, he was 31 years old at the time of his death. He was a member of the Alabama National Guard and had been with the Mobile Police Department since 2016.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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