High bond means no freedom for two men in boyhood memory case

DETROIT (AP) - A judge has ordered high bond for two men who had hoped to go home after they were granted new trials based on the boyhood memory of a man who witnessed his mother's murder.

Wayne County Judge Donald Knapp last Friday set bond at $250,000 for Justly Johnson and Kendrick Scott. He says they're still facing murder charges.

They'll remain in jail until they come up with the cash or persuade a higher court to lower the amount. David Moran of the Innocence Clinic at University of Michigan Law School says he's disappointed.

Johnson and Scott had served more than 18 years in prison when the Michigan Supreme Court in July granted them new trials in the fatal shooting of Lisa Kindred.

Charmous Skinner Jr. witnessed his mother's death in Detroit in 1999 and says his recollection of the shooter is different than the evidence offered at trial. Skinner was 8 years old at the time and was never interviewed by police.

Published: Tue, Sep 25, 2018