MEMPHIS, Tenn — ABC24 spoke with the judge who made a controversial decision to release the man on his own recognizance about his thoughts on Tennessee's bail system, though he did not comment on a specific case.
It was early Thanksgiving morning when a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed in front of his grandmother’s house on Vandalia Street in Binghampton.
“I rushed over to my mom's house and I saw my nephew lying in the street with a bullet hole in the back of his head,” said Robert Tomlinson, the boy’s uncle.
The victim's grandmother told ABC24 that her grandson’s murder has left a hole in her heart that will never be filled.
Memphis Police said 18-year-old Edio White and another 15-year-old were arrested on charges that included first-degree murder during the perpetration of robbery. According to an affidavit, video footage showed a silver Hyundai Sonata stop in front of the home of the teen, who came out and appeared to pass firearms back and forth with the car's occupants.
A suspect inside the car then appeared to abruptly grab a weapon from the teen, and they began to struggle. Another suspect in the car then shot the teen, who immediately fell, the affidavit said. The suspects then drove away.
White admitted to being the driver and knowing the 15-year-old suspect was planning to rob the victim of his pistol. He also said his own pistol was used to kill the victim, according to the affidavit.
Monday, White was released on his own recognizance after appearing in court.
“I don't understand why this guy was let go after murdering my nephew,” Tomlinson said. “Get this guy off the street.”
Judge Bill Anderson Jr. is the one who presided over that bond hearing and made the decision to release White. Without referring to this case specifically, the judge explained that the reason he makes this type of ruling is that it allows him to place restrictions such as curfew and drug testing on the person involved. If he sets a bond and a bail bond company pays it, they become responsible for monitoring that person.
“I can't control it because the bail bond company that got this person out, they don't have to listen to me. They're a private industry,” he said. “They do nothing but take money and get people out of jail. And if those people don't show up for court, generally, they don't go look for them.”
Wednesday, Tennessee state Senator Brent Taylor criticized Judge Anderson for his stance, claiming that his “contempt for the bail system” influences his decisions.
Judge Anderson said state lawmakers such as Taylor can remove bail bond companies from the process, which other states have done.
“He may not like the results, but he's in a position to change [the laws], and if he wants to change them, that's his prerogative,” Judge Anderson said.
Judge Anderson said he would like to see Tennessee adopt a bail system like the one previously used in Illinois, where family can take 10 percent of the bond to the clerk's office, keeping it within the system.
In September 2023, Illinois abolished cash bail altogether.
Judge Anderson added that the root cause of the problem goes back to the easy access to guns, which is also the responsibility of the state legislature.