Alabama Supreme Court Amends and Raises State Bail Schedule
The Alabama Supreme Court has increased the range of bail for murder in updating the state’s bail schedule. The suggested range for bail for a murder defendant now goes up from $15,000 to $1.5 million, up from $150,000 previously. In issuing its ruling, the Supreme Court says this is a general rule for circuit, district and municipal courts. It says courts should exercise discretion in setting bail above or below the scheduled amounts. A capital felony has a range of $50,000 up to no bail. The bail schedule had come under criticism this week in Montgomery, after a shooting Sunday at the Bama Lanes bowling alley. One person was killed and six others were injured. The suspect, Tory Johnson, was released on $270,000 bail, which included $150,000 for the murder charge. Johnson was released on bail the same day as the shooting. After the release, Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey had asked the court to increase Johnson’s bail to $2 million. At a hearing Thursday, Distri...