Chicago — An Uptown man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for killing his romantic partner during an argument over whether they would invite a third person to join them for sex.
Marquez Haggard, 27, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder in exchange for the sentence. Prosecutors dropped two other murder counts and a charge of unlawful restraint in their deal with Haggard. He has no other criminal background.
Haggard and Dandre Tatum, 45, had been in a relationship since the summer of 2020, and the two got together at Haggard’s home in the 1200 block of West Argyle on January 9 last year.
During an initial bail hearing last year, prosecutor James Murphy said Tatum became upset when Haggard started looking for a third person to join them for sex and tried to leave. But Haggard struggled with Tatum, pulling on his arm and clothes to make him stay.
Tatum struck Haggard to get away, and the confrontation moved to a parking area behind Haggard’s apartment, where Haggard pulled out a box cutter and stabbed Tatum in the right arm, Murphy said.
The blade severed Tatum’s brachial artery. He ran away and was later found unconscious and bleeding heavily from his arm on the steps of a home in the 5000 block of North Glenwood. Meanwhile, Haggard called 911 and said he stabbed an intruder in his apartment and said the man was running down a nearby alley, Murphy said.
Tatum never regained consciousness after suffering severe blood loss, and he died on January 23, 2021, after care was withdrawn, Murphy said.
Police followed a blood trail from Tatum’s body until they arrived at a large pool of blood on the parking pad behind Haggard’s apartment.
Haggard’s prison sentence will be reduced by 50% for good behavior. He is scheduled to be paroled on July 13, 2026. Judge Charles Burns oversaw the case and sentenced Haggard.
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