Background: News footage of Samantha Marion in court (WMC). Inset: Cell phone video of Ricky Floyd from the night of the alleged shooting (provided by John Keith Perry).
Attorneys for a Tennessee woman said she acted in self-defense when she allegedly shot and killed a beloved local pastor.
Samantha Marion, 42, was indicted by a grand jury on Aug. 26 in connection with the shooting death of local pastor Ricky Floyd, 58, on March 12. After she was initially charged with voluntary manslaughter, her charges were elevated to second-degree murder, employing a firearm with intent to commit a felony, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. She now faces trial, though no date has been set.
Local NBC affiliate WMC reported that according to Marion”s defense attorney, Marion and Floyd got into an argument about religion outside Momma’s Bar in Memphis that escalated. At some point, Floyd left in his vehicle but returned and approached Marion. In cellphone video taken by Marion that was shared with the station by her defense attorney, Floyd can be seen walking aggressively toward Marion while she verbally warns him to stop.
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During a preliminary hearing in June that was covered by WMC, Patrolman Cordell Boyd was called by the prosecution and was the only witness to testify. Boyd was the first officer to respond to the scene on the night of March 12. He told the court that Marion’s claim of self-defense did not hold water, saying that she allegedly went back to her own vehicle to get her gun during her verbal altercation with Floyd.
If that was the case, Boyd said, then Marion could have left the scene instead of opening fire on Floyd.
Prosecutors also said that according to the arrest affidavit, surveillance video captured Floyd backing away from Marion at the moment she allegedly shot him. Police said more surveillance video shows Floyd throwing beer cans and Marion’s phone in the moments leading up to the fatal confrontation.
But Marion’s attorney John Keith Perry backed his client’s story of self-defense, saying the video of Floyd taken by Marion showed him allegedly approaching her despite her telling him multiple times to “Back the f— up.” Perry told WMC, “She defended herself when she was facing grave, grave danger and because of that, she is hurled into the criminal justice system, hopefully for a short period of time.”
WMC reported that Perry said there were details from the confrontation that were left out of the affidavit. Law&Crime reached out to Perry for clarification on this, but did not receive an immediate response.
Law&Crime also reached out to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office for their response but did not hear back.
She posted $100,000 bond days after her arrest and remains free pending trial.
