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Macon murder suspect released from jail for 2nd time on $50K bond

The judge wrote that Quindray Threatt posed no significant threat to the public and was not a threat to flee

MACON, Ga. —     CORRECTION: This story originally included a statement from the office of District Attorney Anita Reynolds Howard, saying they asked a judge last month not to grant bond for murder suspect Quindray Threatt.

On Thursday, we heard from Judge Bryant Culpepper, who agreed to bond for Threatt.

He released a transcript of the June 30th bond hearing.

it shows that Assistant District Attorney Shelley Milton did not argue against the bond.

Reynolds on Thursday released a statement confirming that and saying that Milton incorrectly described what happened at the hearing.

As a result, she said she allowed Milton to resign Thursday.

Questions still remain about why a Macon murder suspect was released from jail--twice. 

Quindray Threatt bailed out last Wednesday on a $50,000 bond. 

He's accused of killing 45-year-old Michael Whitaker Jr in February 2020. According to the Sheriff's Office, Whitaker was found shot several times on Concord and Third Streets outside downtown Macon.

Threat was arrested in the case and bailed out two months later, in May 2020.

Then this spring, he was re-indicted on new charges in the Whitaker case.

According to the  March 2022 indictment, Threatt now faces three counts in the Whitaker case -- felony murder, malice murder and aggravated assault. 

Threatt turned himself in more than three months later.

Then on June 30, Judge Bryant Culpepper granted him a $50,000 bond in the case.

According to his order, Culpepper found Threatt was not significant risk of fleeing before trial. The judge also said Threatt did not pose a threat to the public. 

We spoke by phone to Culpepper. He would not discuss specifics of this case but talked in general about how judges set bond.

"Depends on in if the case is moving or not, sometimes we have to take that into consideration when the likelihood of it being tried. If it looks like it's going to be a long lengthy time, then we have to take that into consideration," Culpepper said. 

Bibb County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office say since Threatt first bailed out in May 2020, he's been accused of at least three new felonies:

He's accused of aggravated assault in January 2020, a month before the Whitaker case.

After he was arrested on the case in June 2020, he was accused of aggravated battery and rioting in the Bibb County jail.

His lawyer says Threatt was acting in self-defense in both the Whitaker case and the jail fight.

In a statement to 13WMAZ, the District Attorney's Office said they oppose bond for Threatt -- although they failed to speak out at the June 30 hearing.

District Attorney Anita Reynolds Howard wrote that the "serious and violent nature of the charges make [Threatt] a risk to the safety of the community; and, his likelihood to re-offend based upon his continued violations of the law."

Bibb County Sheriff's Office says based on their records, Culpepper also signed off on the $50,000 bond back in May 2020.

However 13WMAZ and the Macon Superior Court Clerk's Office could not locate records showing why bond was granted then.

The District Attorney's office says they cannot locate Threatt's bond order from May 2020. 

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