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VERIFY: Did Perry murder suspects get $20,000 bond?

A 20-year-old Marine was shot to death and two men were charged with the killing. A viewer wrote 13WMAZ saying those suspects had been granted bond. Is that true?

PERRY, Ga. — A 20-year old marine was shot to death in Perry this spring.

Two men were charged with the killing.

On Friday, a viewer wrote to 13WMAZ, saying those suspects had been granted bond, and not a very high one either.

Is it true?

13WMAZ pulled documents from the criminal records office, talked to the judge's assistant, and spoke with Perry police to Verify.

"I mean, hundreds of hours. If we were to put a cost on it, I'm sure it would, it'd be, you know, probably in the tens of thousands of dollars," Chief Stephen Lynn with the Perry Police Department said.

The case carried a financial and physical cost.

"He was gasping for breath -- he was so sad, just gasping for breath," Daphne Gray said.

US Marine Private Anahitdeep Sandhu, 20, was shot to death in Perry this spring.

Perry police say Quavion Rountree and Delvin Ross are responsible.

According to court documents, they are both charged with malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault

But are they now out on bond?

13WMAZ verifies that answer is yes.

According to the superior court clerk's office and Judge Edward Lukemire's office, both suspects were released on bond in May, just weeks after the shooting.

Both men are confined to house arrest and required to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.

The cost of the bond was $20,000 each.

"The judge looks at all the criteria and determines whether bond is appropriate. In this case, the judge set bond, so that's just part of the system," Lynn said.

Veteran criminal defense attorney Frank Hogue said via text a $20,000 bond in a murder case is "low" and "unusual" and estimated that defendants in those cases are granted bond less than 50 percent of the time.

However, he also said "the law prefers bail to pre-trial incarceration."

Judge Lukemire could not be reached for comment when 13WMAZ tried to get him to explain why the bond was set as it was.

Quavion Rountree's defense attorney, David Daniell, said there were extenuating circumstances in the case, but would not elaborate.

Clif Woody is an Assistant District Attorney in Houston County.

He said prosecutors opposed granting bond for the two suspects but the judge ruled against them.

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