Marlon A. King Jr., a 19-year-old Black man, was a young father with his future in mind. A 2022 graduate of DeKalb High School where he played basketball for the Barbs, King had a two-year-old daughter and was hoping to attend Kishwaukee College to better provide for his family. According to his diary entries, he had goals to read more, save money for an apartment, and open a savings account for his daughter. His mother, Tara McCarthy, remembered him as a person who would always go to help a friend or family member in need.
On the night of May 11, 2023, King was involved in a fatal altercation inside an apartment building in the 400 block of Russell Road in DeKalb, Illinois. DeKalb police officers responded to a report of shots fired at 11:14 p.m. and found King and another man, Carreon S. Scott, with gunshot wounds. King was transported to Northwestern Kishwaukee Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:49 p.m.
An autopsy later revealed he had suffered a bullet wound to the back. Scott was airlifted to a hospital in Rockford for treatment of a gunshot wound to his leg.
The investigation revealed the shooting was the result of a confrontation between King, Scott, and a third individual, Jayden C. Hernandez. According to court records, King was already inside the building when Scott and Hernandez arrived. An argument between Scott and King escalated into a physical fight on the ground. Prosecutors alleged that during the struggle, Scott shot King. As Hernandez then tried to wrestle a gun away, he also allegedly shot King. King was found to have a handgun in his coat pocket, which he had reportedly fired during the altercation, striking Scott.
Carreon S. Scott, then 20, and Jayden C. Hernandez, then 19, were arrested on May 12, 2023. Both men were initially charged with first-degree murder and mob action, with Hernandez facing an additional charge of resisting a peace officer. They were held without bond in the DeKalb County Jail while their cases proceeded. King’s family, including his mother, was a constant presence at the court hearings.
In March 2025, both men pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder. During the emotional court proceedings, King’s mother held a banner with her son’s photo and told the court that despite their actions, she did not wish them ill. Carreon S. Scott, then 22, was sentenced to 23 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, which included 20 years for the murder and three years for unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. With these pleas, the case was concluded in March 2025.
