Man Who Plotted to Kill State Judges Being Released

Middle District Judge James Brady has ordered the conditional release of Kelly Donald Gould, a Denham Springs man once accused of plotting to kill two state judges, reports The Advocate . The release was granted because if Gould remains in prison until his trial his pretrial detention could exceed the potential sentence he faces if convicted. "All together, Gould is looking at 42 months in prison on a gun possession charge, without benefit of a trial," Brady wrote. "If Gould pled guilty today, the court could sentence him to only 41 months. In these unusual circumstances, the court cannot allow pretrial detention to continue." The short sentence results from illegally-obtained evidence being excluded from trial.

Posted by AJR at June 5, 2003 08:11 AM