Judge Susan Watters set bail at $5,000 after rejecting a request that he be released without bail. Public defender Richard Phillips, who made the request, said Mullins had been receiving mental-health counseling. @.
Sampson argued that the high bond sought by prosecutors was “disproportionate” to the allegations and “simply more fuel to the emotional fire.” She asked the judge to consider releasing Victoria to the custody of his parents, who attended the hearing, or an aunt who lives in Billings. @.
The body of a toddler found in the trunk of his mother’s car may have been there for months as she drove around town, evaded questions about him and was even arrested, police said. @
Stearns was represented in court by public defender Carl Jensen, who tried to persuade McKittrick not to impose a life sentence because Stearns is appealing his Ravalli County conviction to the Montana Supreme Court. ⇒
NJ: The former head of the Hudson County Public Defender’s Office was expected to be sworn in last night as an Essex County Superior Court judge in a ceremony in Newark. ⇒ Crazy. I can’t see anything like this ever happening here…
NH: But does wealth mean a superior defense in capital murder cases, which can cost between $1 million and $3 million to defend? The answer depends on whom you ask. ⇒
Salvagni, 60, announced his intention Friday to seek a third term when voters go to the polls in November. The two-term district judge is currently running unopposed. Each term is six years. ⇒
Justice of the Peace Donald Strine ruled that officers who aided in the rescue needed a search warrant before removing the dogs, who were discovered living in a sea of their own feces and urine inside four dilapidated mobile homes and camp trailers a mile off Blue Slide Road west of Thompson Falls. ⇒
“I will go to my grave believing these people just sent an innocent man to prison for the rest of his life,” said Melody Brown, public defender. ⇒
MT: Bonds date back centuries to guarantee appearance. Pretrial supervision is a relatively new idea, and, unlike a bond, it guarantees nothing. Instead it often serves as a vehicle for extortion. ⇒
image: detail of installation by Bronwyn Lace