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Suspect accused of murdering Port Arthur man in custody after surrendering to the Jefferson County Jail

Marcus Freeman's body was found in a vehicle parked at the Normandy Apartments.

PORT ARTHUR, Texas — An 18-year-old man who is accused of murder turned himself into the Jefferson County Correctional Facility on Monday.

(Editor's note: The above video is from a March 30, 2022 newscast.)

Dastacy Lawrence was charged with murder after the shooting death of Port Arthur native Marcus Freeman, according to a Port Arthur Police Department release. Freeman was found dead in a vehicle at a Port Arthur apartment complex.

Lawrence is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a more than $900,000 bond, according to the release.

Credit: PAPD

Related: Port Arthur Police searching for 18-year-old accused of murder after man found fatally shot in car

Freeman's body was found on January 21, 2022, according to file stories. 

Port Arthur Police went to the 3500 block of Normandy Avenue shortly after 3:30 p.m. to check on a man in a vehcicle. The vehicle was parked at the Normandy Apartments.

Officers found Freeman unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound. Freeman was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace Marc DeRouen.

Related: Port Arthur mom urging city to take preventive action at apartment complexes after death of son

Deborah Freeman, Marcus Freeman's mother, said her son was likely shot and killed outside the complex on January 20, just hours before his 34th birthday. 

She believes her son's body was not found until the next day.

The grieving mother said her son was the father of seven kids. Deborah Freeman said she believes a lack of evidence plays a large role in hindering police from solving major crimes.

This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.

Credit: PAPD

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From a Port Arthur Police Dpeartment release:

On April 25, 2022, 18-year-old, Dastacy Lawrence surrendered himself to the Jefferson County Correctional Facility to face the charge of Murder for the shooting death of Marcus Freeman, a Port Arthur resident.

This crime occurred on January 21, 2022 in the 3500 block of Normandy Ave. at Normandy Apartments. Lawrence is being held on a $950,000 bond.

If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas. 

Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously. 

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