CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A man charged with double murder in a Kanawha County case will have his trial Monday.
After Markus Guy, 32, of Charleston requested a new public defender to handle his case in September before Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers, his newly-appointed public defenders Ed Bowman and Mark Plants Friday asked Judge Akers for a continuance in Guys’ trial.
However, Akers denied their request for a continuance.
She said she had tried to work this trial in her calendar for a later date, but she has a lot of other upcoming trials and couldn’t fit it in for any later time.
“We have future murder trials, we have three defendants in one shooting case, but those are all separate, those have been moved multiple times, this has already been moved once,” Akers said.
Guys’ trial was originally set for December 2, 2024, but a joint motion of continuance was filed in October 2024 due to an issue with having experts available on the state prosecuting attorneys’ side, as well the defense council requiring more time to obtain discovery in their newly-appointed case.
Akers said she didn’t want to delay this trial any further.
“Out of term is not where I’m going to go with this,” she said. “We have already had one joint motion to continue, the experts were an issue then, there’s been adequate time between November and March.”
“So, for those reasons Mr. Plants, Mr. Bowman, your motion is denied,” Akers said. “We will go to trial Monday.”
Guy is accused of killing two of his girlfriend’s family members in February.
He was charged with two counts of first degree murder along with use of a firearm during a felony and child abuse causing death after Koda Bryson Jarrett, 14, and Alisha Brooke Carnefix, 39, were fatally shot at a home in St. Albans on Feb. 7, 2024.
Guy and his girlfriend Shelby Frazier then went to the Charleston Police Department and told an officer he had killed two of Frazier’s relatives, court documents say.
Guy remains in the South Central Regional Jail without bail.
His trial is set for Monday at 9 a.m.