A Panama City man who pled no contest to repeatedly stabbing a man who barred him from his property received the maximum prison sentence Tuesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Markus Shadree Faggart, 41, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for Attempted Second Degree Murder in the Dec. 8, 2023, stabbing of a 62-year-old Panama City man on his porch. Prosecutor Morgan Morrell successfully argued for Circuit Court Judge Brandon Young to designate and sentence the defendant as a Prison Release Reoffender.
Morrell showed the defendant was released from prison in 2022 for Armed Robbery. This means the defendant will have to serve every day of the sentence.
“The work by Panama City Police Department investigators, their collaboration with our office, and the wealth of evidence against the defendant in this brutal attack culminated with the defendant pleading while accepting the maximum sentence,” Morrell said. “We are grateful the victim and witnesses will not be put through the trial process and that this defendant will be where he can not pose a danger to our community.”
Morrell was prepared to call witnesses and provide evidence that the defendant knew the victim and at times stopped by his home to talk. But on Dec. 8, 2023, the victim asked Faggart to leave his property and that he was no longer welcome there.
About an hour later, the victim was taking out his garbage when the defendant returned holding a pocketknife, stabbing and cutting the victim in the throat multiple times.
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The victim managed to run away and was assisted by neighbors to stem the bleeding until an ambulance arrived. The defendant fled but was found walking about 4 blocks away, with blood on his clothes and hands. A bloody pocketknife was found in his shoe.
Basford thanked Panama City police for their work on the case and helping with its quick resolution.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.