Rodney E. Marshall is pictured at a hearing on June 30, 2023, in Douglas County District Court.

A Lawrence man charged with murder in connection with the shooting deaths of two men last summer has indicated he wants a hearing to argue that he acted in self-defense, and he dismissed one of his two attorneys on Friday.

Rodney Ericson Marshall, 52, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted capital murder of a law enforcement officer and one count of attempted murder of a civilian, according to charging documents.

As the Journal-World has reported, Marshall is accused of killing William D. O’Brien, 43, of Lawrence, and Shelby McCoy, 52, of Lawrence, on July 31, 2022, at separate locations, before leading police on a lengthy chase, during which he allegedly shot at them. The arrest affidavit that would provide more details about the allegations against Marshall has been sealed by the court.

Marshall was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Friday but a week before the hearing he filed a motion to remove his attorneys, Cline Boone and Joshua Allen, citing communication issues between himself and the attorneys. Marshall’s motions also alleged that the attorneys failed to provide him with additional evidence in the case and did not file a motion for an immunity hearing on his behalf.

On Friday, Marshall said he would withdraw his request to remove one of his attorneys, Boone, but that he still wanted Allen off his case. Allen appeared in court and agreed that he and Marshall had developed communication issues and that Allen believed those issues were substantial enough that Allen should withdraw from the case.

Judge Amy Hanley granted Allen’s request to withdraw and told Marshall that she would try to appoint him another attorney but that it could cause a delay in the case, which Marshall said was acceptable. Hanley said Boone and Allen were Marshall’s fifth and sixth attorneys.

As the Journal-World reported, two of Marshall’s attorneys, Carol Cline and Michael Clarke, were removed after Marshall engaged in a physical altercation with Clarke at the Douglas County Jail during a meeting.

Hanley also told Marshall that it was not too late to file for the immunity hearing for Marshall to argue that he acted in self defense and that the court would schedule a time to hear the motion when it is filed. No details were provided in court about how Marshall intends to argue he acted in self-defense.

Marshall is currently being held at the Douglas County Jail on a $1.5 million bond. His preliminary hearing has now been pushed back to Aug. 25.