Vermont v. Bailey
Annotate this CaseIn late 2016, Vermont State Police received a call from defendant William Bailey in which defendant told the police that he had accidentally shot his friend Daniel Hein and that Hein was likely dead. When the police arrived at the scene, they found Hein’s dead body in the back seat of defendant’s car; he had been shot in the head. Defendant was charged with manslaughter, and the court set bail at $50,000. Defendant later filed a motion to review bail, and the court held two bail review hearings. The court lowered bail to $25,000, but determined, after hearing testimony from both defendant’s father and defendant’s girlfriend, there was no responsible adult to whom defendant could be released. In cases of bailable offenses, there is a presumption that the defendant may be released before trial either on his or her own recognizance or on an unsecured appearance bond. However, the presumption is rebutted if the court determines that such conditions are insufficient to assure the defendant’s appearance at future court proceedings. Defendant appealed the trial court’s order to set bail at $25,000 and its determination that neither his father nor his girlfriend were responsible adults to whom he can be released. Finding no reversible error in that judgment, the Supreme Court affirmed.
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