A man accused of shooting and killing in an execution-style murder in North Miami Beach that was caught on camera was hoping a judge would grant him some form of jail release as he awaits trial.
A man accused of shooting and killing in an execution-style murder caught on camera in North Miami Beach was hoping a judge would grant him some form of jail release as he awaits trial.
Police charged 22-year-old Marcuss Ealy for robbing 21-year-old Malcom Avery Johnson Jr.'s gold medallion and then killing him.
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WATCH HERESurveillance video captured the 2023 shooting on May 30 in the area of Northwest 170th Street and Northwest 3rd Avenue. In the video, two men pull up on Johnson, they rob his personal belongings, shoot him, and then drive away.
The second man, Mario Fogler, who was also charged with the murder, admitted he was the man wearing a yellow hoodie in the video, according to records.
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In March, Fogler pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by two years of probation, according to records. However, Fogler must testify against Ealy in a future trial or any court proceeding.
"Defendant agrees that he is willing to testify in open court against Marcus Ealy. Including testifying that Ealy fired the gun to murder victim Malcolm Avery Johnson Jr," said Sergeant Maria Pinillos of the North Miami Beach Police Department on Monday during an Arthur hearing.
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State attorneys are confident their case is strong against Ealy. On top of the co-defendant's confession, they also stated Monday that the defendant's brother wrote a letter to them admitting Ealy was the shooter.
Prosecutors also uncovered selfies of Ealy with his girlfriend posing with the medallion inside a hidden folder on her phone, a few hours after Ealy allegedly killed a man for it.
Ealy has denied all the allegations and hoped to get house arrest.
However, Judge Cristina Miranda denied granting Ealy a bond, especially since police were already surveilling him through a secret camera before the 2023 murder happened. Law enforcement set up a camera outside Ealy's home because of his alleged involvement in gangs and due to recent shootings at the residence.
"I can't in any good conscious say that it would be safe for the community to return this defendant to his home where law enforcement has gone to the extent of putting a pole camera to observe what's going on," Miranda said.
