Mocobizscene- A murder suspect in Montgomery has been released from jail again. This comes after he successfully filed an emergency motion to overturn a judge’s revised bond order, which had initially required him to return to the county detention facility shortly after he had managed to post bail.
One of the suspects charged with felony murder for the death of Michael Cole, Jr., 16, was Nicholas King-Sheppard. He had been held at the Montgomery County Detention Facility until last Wednesday when Montgomery District Judge Brooke Reid decided to set his bond at $750,000.
King-Sheppard fulfilled the bail requirements and was released that night. However, the next morning, Judge Reid made changes to her order by including a new condition – 25% of the defendant’s bail had to be paid in cash. Unfortunately, King-Sheppard was unable to meet this requirement and was sent back to the lockup shortly after the amended order was filed.
Judge Reid presided over a hearing on Monday to discuss King-Sheppard’s urgent request for a speedy bail hearing. The defendant’s lawyer argued that the court lacked the power to change its order according to the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure. They further stated that the State would need to request a modification of the bond conditions if there were significant violations or misleading information during the defendant’s release process.
According to the filing made by King-Sheppard’s attorney, the defendant, whose family provided substantial assets to secure his release, is now being forced to surrender himself to the Montgomery County Detention Facility. This is happening despite the fact that he has not violated any conditions of his release that were in effect at the time. The attorney argues that he will be rebooked into the jail without being afforded the procedures or due process rights that are guaranteed to him under the relevant statutes and rules of procedure.
On Tuesday, Judge Reid issued an order that restored King-Sheppard’s bond to its initial conditions, eliminating the 25% cash requirement. The original conditions still entail the defendant wearing an ankle monitor and abiding by a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. He is also prohibited from possessing any firearms or deadly weapons, as violating this condition may lead to the revocation of his bond.
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