Bell County Justice of the Peace Sets $4 Billion Bond For Killeen Murder Suspect
Bell County Justice of The Peace Claudia Brown may have set a new record when it comes to bonds.
According to KWTX News 10, Antonio Marquis Willis turned himself into Killeen police after he was named in a warrant stemming from the Dec. 21, 2016 shooting death of 22-year-old Donte Javon Samuels. Justice of The Peace Brown set his bond at $4 Billion dollars.
That's not a typo. That's B for BILLION.
The county's online jail log shows the bond to be $999,999,999, because the online system can't accommodate more than nine digits.
This may be a new record never seen before in the U.S. according to The Killeen Daily Herald. Bell County Deputy Chief Chuck Cox said that it's the highest bond he's ever heard of in Bell County Jail history. According to Cox, the previous high was $1 million.
In terms of the U.S. record books:
The Fresno, Calif., law offices of Nuttall and Coleman made a list in March 2015 of the top 12 highest bails ever set. Listed in first place was the $3 billion bond set in a 2003 case against New York real estate heir Robert Durst. - Killeen Daily Herald
Do you think Justice of The Peace Brown is being excessive, or is she justified in setting such a high bond?