California officials criticize bail rules after Halloween homicide suspects released

Northern California officials condemned the criminal justice system Tuesday after two suspects in a murder case were released while awaiting trial, which put the state’s efforts to reform the bail system back into the spotlight.

The suspects, Efrain Anzures, 27, charged with murder, and Alfred Castillo, 26, charged with accessory to murder, live in San Jose and were arrested in November after a deadly Halloween shootout.

A Santa Clara County judge ruled Anzures could be sentenced to house arrest with an ankle monitor and Castillo was released on his own.

WHITE HOUSE STANDS BY PUSH TO END CASH BAIL AFTER WAUKESHA PARADE ATTACK

Alfred Castillo and Efrain Anzures are charged in connection with the Halloween murder that stems from a possible traffic incident in San Jose, California.
(https://www.sjpd.org/Home/Components/News/News/575/262)

The decision left local leaders angry.

“I appreciate the purpose of bail reform, but the release of a murder suspect without bail is outrageous. The pendulum is too wide and our neighborhoods suffer the most crime that suffer,” tweeted the San Jose Mayor , Sam Liccardo, on Tuesday.

The San Jose Police Department also spoke up, saying, “The criminal justice system believes they will be released without bail,” despite heavy charges against them.

“Yes, you read that right, two murder accused, indicted out of custody,” the department said in a tweet. “Our community deserves better, the victim’s family deserves better [sic] better. Killing someone’s life is the ultimate crime. The system has failed. “

Authorities said the shooting resulted from a road traffic incident in which the victim collided with several vehicles. Anzures claims self-defense and says he opened fire when the victim ruthlessly approached him, his lawyer said.

California’s bail system was turned upside down in May when the state’s Supreme Court ruled that defendants cannot be held for simply being able to afford to bail, even if charged with serious crimes.

“The common practice of making freedom dependent only on whether an arrested person can afford bail is unconstitutional,” said the judges in a unanimous decision.

The decision came after San Francisco resident Kenneth Humphrey was arrested in 2017 for allegedly stealing a bottle of colognes from a neighbor. He was jailed for more than eight months because he could not afford a judge’s bail of $ 350,000.

Proponents of the criminal justice system have argued that the money guarantee system penalizes people for being poor. Critics say wealthy suspects can pay their way out of police custody, while those with insufficient funds languish in jail, sometimes forcing them to plead guilty to get out.

Law enforcement and persistent crime advocates have long said that ending the cash deposit jeopardizes public safety.

California judges will now need to consider several factors when setting bail, including the criminal record, the underlying facts of the crime, and the suspect’s connections to the community, said Steven Clark, a legal analyst and former Santa Clara County district attorney.

“The gravity of the crime is a factor … and I’m sure a prosecutor would argue that someone who is dangerous to the community should not be released,” Clark told Fox News. “But you also have to say the downside of being accused of a crime you believed innocent, you could fight your case for years, and you will not be found guilty. Where is the righteousness? “

Sean Pritchard, president of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association, opposed the new bail rules, saying the release of Anzures and Castillo puts the community at risk.

“This is an absolute assault on the safety of San Jose residents,” he said in a statement to Fox News.

Pritchard and other police union leaders blame the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for policies that allow criminals, such as California Proposition 47, which downgrades the theft charge from crime to misdemeanor below $ 950. The voter-approved move was blamed by some amid a wave of break-ins in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

Several police unions have sponsored a website called ACLU Watch, which is devoted to “fighting for the rights of victims, keeping criminals accountable and exposing those who defend the untenable”.

On Wednesday, San Jose police announced that a murder suspect released without bail had fled the United States and was able to hide in Mexico.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Therefore dangerous defendants / suspects should not be released on their own,” said the police.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-bail