LIMA — A man who fled the area following the 2017 shooting death of Lima resident Shannon Scott has been deemed competent to stand trial.
Marquez Pritchett, 34, of Lima, who police said had been a suspect in Scott’s death since the early stages of the investigation, underwent an evaluation this summer at the Forensic Psychiatry Center for Western Ohio in Dayton. The report indicated Pritchett is able to assist in his own defense at trial on charges of murder, an unclassified felony that includes a firearm specification, and one count of having a weapon while under disability.
Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Reed set a jury trial for Oct. 27.
Pritchett was returned to Allen County from Phoenix, Arizona, in late April to face a murder charge in the 2017 shooting death of Scott. He has remained jailed under a $1 million bond since that time.
Detective Sean Neidemire of the Lima Police Department in April said Pritchett was arrested on a Lima warrant in Arizona in September 2019. Pritchett, who reportedly fled to California following Scott’s death, had contested his extradition back to Allen County since that time. With those appeals finally exhausted, Pritchett was flown back to Ohio and was taken to the Allen County jail to await trial.
Family members discovered the body of the 47-year-old Scott on June 11, 2017, after he had not been heard from for several days. Scott was found in his living room at 621 Michael Ave., Lima. He had been shot with a handgun, police said.
At the time Neidemire said police were following up on leads that were mostly “rumor and speculation.”
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