Co-defendant in Justin Sawyer fatal shooting enters guilty plea deal, will testify in court against others

One of three co-defendants charged in connection with the 2020 fatal shooting of Justin Sawyer entered a guilty plea Friday afternoon.

Marquell Sims, 22, of Oak Grove, was seen in Christian County Court via a Zoom call from the jail. He appeared before Judge John Atkins.

Sims, along with two others, were arrested in January 2021 in Oak Grove in connection with the disappearance of Sawyer, 20. He went missing Dec. 17, 2020. 

Sawyer's charred body was found in Northeast Clarksville last March.

A March 3 autopsy shows Sawyer died from gunshot wounds to the chest and leg.

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Under the terms of Sims' plea agreement, he will plead guilty to facilitation of kidnapping with serious physical injury, facilitation to robbery first degree and facilitation of assault first degree, according to attorney Richard Boling. 

The plea agreement also says that Sims will testify in any of his co-defendants' jury trials, Boling said. 

Sims was initially released from the Christian County jail with an ankle monitor in April 2021. He failed to appear in traffic court last summer, first in August and then September, according to jail officials. 

Sims was arrested in October on a misdemeanor charge of fourth degree assault and has been held at the jail ever since.

During the Friday proceedings, Atkins said Sims would be released with an ankle monitor until his sentencing hearing on March 16. He is not to travel outside of Montgomery County or Christian County, Kentucky, the judge said.

Sims is being represented by attorney Michael Thompson. 

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Sims, Dawuan T. Davis, of Clarksville, and Gene “Doug” Henry, of Oak Grove, were all charged in connection with Sawyer's death.

Last October, Henry was the first co-defendant to reach a plea deal in the case. He pleaded guilty in October to abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 21 in Christian County. 

Davis, who is currently in jail, has been charged with robbery, kidnapping with serious physical injury and assault. He was due in Christian County Court for trial next week, but the trial was postponed and a date has not yet been announced.

Alexis Clark can be reached at aclark@gannett.com or 931-217-8519.