Jury trial for Sims murder set for late January

The jury trial for a man accused of the murder of Malik Darea Sims is scheduled to begin on Jan. 21 at 9 a.m.

The body of Sims was discovered off of Stephenson Road near the Owen-Monroe county line by a passerby on July 15.

An autopsy later revealed the cause of death to be a single gunshot wound to the head. The death was ruled a homicide by the examining pathologist.

Quentin Porter, Jr., 25, of Bloomington, was arrested in July for Sims' murder.

In addition to the murder charge, Porter is also facing a Level 6 Felony for auto theft, a Level 5 Felony for attempting to escape and a Level 5 Felony for battery against a public safety official. The latter two charges were filed on July 31, after Porter's July 25 initial hearing for the auto theft and murder charges.

The case log for Porter's Aug. 1 initial hearing for the escape and battery charges reads, "Court would note for the record that defendant is being uncooperative. Defendant refused to watch the video explaining his rights, and officers had to bring him to the hearing. He sat in the chair with head down, unresponsive."

Porter will be represented by public defender Jacob Fish.

Owen County Prosecutor Benjamin Kim issued a reminder that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.