For Immediate Release:
May 4, 2026
For press inquiries only, contact:
Amanda Priest (334) 322-5694
William Califf (334) 604-3230
(Montgomery, Ala) – Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the capital murder conviction and death sentence of Marco Perez on May 1, 2026. Perez was convicted in the Mobile County Circuit Court of capital murder of an on-duty police officer and sentenced to death on March 18, 2024.
The evidence at trial showed that on January 19, 2019, Perez shot and killed Officer Sean Tuder to evade arrest. Perez, who was then in violation of both state probation and federal pretrial release conditions, had staged his own kidnapping and embarked on a ten-day crime spree involving multiple property offenses, including the theft of several vehicles and a Smith & Wesson M&P .40 caliber pistol. Officer Tuder finally received word that Perez had been spotted at the Peach Place Apartments and hurried to the scene to serve an arrest warrant with other officers en route to provide backup. Perez and Officer Tuder struggled, and as Perez broke away, he pulled out the stolen pistol and shot Officer Tuder three times, killing him. The murder was captured on surveillance camera.
Officer Tuder joined the Mobile Police Department in 2016 and was named “Officer of the Month” in 2017. He also served as a member of the Alabama National Guard.
Perez was charged with and convicted of one count of capital murder, and the jury voted 11–1 to sentence him to death. Perez’s conviction and death sentence have now been affirmed on appeal.
Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General Paxton Weeks for her successful work on this case.
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